Saura's Story
by EvidentAbstraction
Summary: Post DA 2: A young woman with a tortured past seeks a quick rest from her constant running when she encounters Fenris. Not only does she find him intriguing, but he offers a path of significant meaning to her previously empty life.
1. Prologue

Prologue:

The little 6-year-old girl hugged her knees to her chest as the rain poured down on her in unrelenting icy sheets. How long she sat huddled underneath the shop's tattered awning she wasn't sure. Her mother's words kept replaying in her mind-" I cannot bear to look at that thing. I want her gone tonight or Maker help me, I'll toss her out myself!" Although she hadn't been able to watch the tears streaming down her mother's weathered cheeks, she heard them clearly enough. She'd been sitting in her tiny bedroom, listening at the door as she had been for the last several hours. But it wasn't until those words hit her that she'd decided to run.

It had all started the previous day. She'd been playing out in the bright afternoon sunshine with her friends around the alienage. She'd been kicking dust up from the streets and watching the clouds form around them. Such a simple game, and so fun. The little boy she'd had a bit of a crush on had reached for her, inviting her to go over to the local bakers and look through the window at the vast display of sweets. However, just as he touched her skin a massive jolt went through the both of them and his mousy brown hair was suddenly standing on end. His eyes widened and he took a step away from her, terror written all over his face. He burst out into tears, screamed- " Witch!" and ran back toward his home located on the other side of the alienage. It hadn't taken long for the news to spread throughout the alienage. It was rare indeed for an elf to possess magical abilites, yet here she was. The little girl ran straight home to tell her mother what had occurred, but just as she stepped into their run-down old two-bedroom home she looked up at her mother and realized she already knew.

" Momma—"

" Is it true what that Rendyn boy is telling everyone? That you're a mage?" The look on her mother's face startled her. It was a mix of horror and disgust. She'd never looked at her this way before…

" I'm not sure, I just—" The girl was trying to explain that it had happened so fast when her mother's face seemed to break with the fury she felt, her eyes wild and frightening.

" TELL ME!"

" Momma, what's wrong?" The little girl was sobbing helplessly now and reached up to try and comfort her mother from whatever was making her feel this way. But it happened again, and the bolt of electricity shot from her fingertips and smashed a vase off the counter top close by.

After that her mother was screaming louder than she'd ever done before and choked, guttural sobs overtook her as she began hurling anything she could find at her horrified daughter. The little girl ran to her bedroom, locked herself in and had remained there for several minutes, still listening to her mother's devastated howling. The front door had opened and suddenly she heard her father's voice. He spoke in his authoritative way as he attempted to calm his wife, but she was inconsolable. Their voices were low and muffled and the little girl was straining to hear when in an abrupt change, her father was suddenly roaring in anger, his voice shaking the entire house. She wondered how long it would take before her sister and brother heard the news and hated her too…

The little girl remained this way for an entire day before she decided to run. She'd overheard her parents talking about the Templar's and how slow they were to respond to their request. But she couldn't remain in this house anymore. Her mother and father despised her, and she didn't wish to cause them any more pain. So she opened up her bedroom window and lowered herself carefully to the ground just two feet down. Night had fallen, and she was penniless and hungry. But she was numb with the pain of losing her family and didn't care where her feet led her or what dangers she might encounter.

The girl had made it out of the alienage gates somehow and found herself in a part of the city she'd never been to. She'd never set foot outside the alienage before. That's when the rain began to fall. At first it was just a cool drizzle and then without warning it had shifted into a downpour. Her ragged, dusty brown dress clung to her skin uncomfortably as she bolted for the safety of the awning. She was shivering and desperate as the tears streaked silently down her cheeks, creating warm paths as they fell. She never saw the man as he approached her silently until he was standing before her with his hand outstretched for her.

That was the moment that had her life forever.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Saura Azurad was sick of traveling. It seemed that was all she ever did. It would really be nice to stop and put her feet up for a while, yet she hadn't been given that opportunity for the last…well…as long as she could remember. Until now. Yes, it was finally time for a break. Her whole body was begging for at least a month of stability and Saura wasn't about to refuse.

She glanced inconspicuously at her current traveling companions, who'd been duller than dirt and had attempted to engage her in a thrilling conversation about the wonders of farming. Not that she had anything against farmers, but there was a fine line between passion for your trade and insanity. Saura was fairly certain they'd crossed that line years ago. Indeed, now the two older men were conversing in loud tones about when the best time to pluck carrots was. Ugh.

Saura turned her gaze forward and willed the Imperial Highway to shorten itself, although she was well aware they would be reaching Nevarra City's gates any time now. However, the trip through the Silent Plains with these nutty farmers had been just about unbearable and now she was counting the minutes it would take to finally rid herself of their presence. The farmers weren't her only traveling companions, however. Several caravans had passed through, but they rarely stayed to chat. Many were on a tight schedule and pushed on ahead with their carts loaded with goods. Indeed, two carts passed on her right now with harried drivers.

Saura needed a distraction from the repetitive one-foot in front of the other movement that carried her forward. She brushed her dark golden bangs out of her face and grasped the familiar hilt of her sword. She unsheathed it in one fluid movement and ignored the sudden worried looks she was receiving from the caravan drivers. She brought her blade up to rest in her other hand and she inspected it. The blade was battle-worn, but sturdy and sharp. The red steel had not a flaw in it, and Saura took a cloth from her pack and cleaned it now. The large violet gem embedded into the guard of the sword seemed to wink at her. She'd had this blade for several years now and could wield it as easily as if it were an extension of her own arm. It was a greatsword and quite heavy. She smiled as she remembered first attempting to swing it, which resulted in dropping it and falling over. After deeming her sword clean enough, she replaced it in its sheath at her back, but then busied herself dusting her hardened, crimson leather armor.

It was nearing nightfall when they received their first glimpse of the few ornate structures that bordered Nevarra City. These massive, beautifully constructed buildings lined the Imperial Highway on either side and rose up in a magnificent view unlike any other and glistened in the dying rays of the sun. These immense dwellings were tombs for the Nevarran dead. Saura had heard the tales of how Nevarran nobles and wealthy citizens began saving up from the time they were toddlers so as to one day lay their lifeless body in a grand temple to honor the life they had lived. Saura looked up at the rows of gilded mausoleums and couldn't help but gape up at them, just as awestruck as the others in her current traveling party.

It was soon after this that the first lights of Nevarra City came into view. It was a grand city, lined with a tall stonewall, the massive gate guarded by two stone figures depicting a man and woman warrior, shields and swords in hand looking vigilant as though they could come to life at any moment to guard their city from harm. Suddenly the dirt road of the Imperial Highway transformed into a paved street of a glittering stone Saura was unfamiliar with. As she made her way across it she peered down in wonder, convinced there must be an abundance of the stone to pave the entire roadway with it.

Her fellow travelers were walking up through the gates of the city, where several guards were keeping an attentive eye on the newcomers. Saura followed closely behind, suddenly feeling claustrophobic in the cramped area just inside the city gates. The rest of the city was barred off to the travelers until they provided names and business information to the guards and were deemed worthy of entering. The guardsmen were separating them into two groups: one for those planning to stay within the city for a period of time, and one for those just passing through. The majority of her traveling party were the caravans just passing through and they were escorted off down a small, well-traveled roadway off to her right. Saura however, found herself feeling physically ill at the idea of more travel and quickly told the guardsman she planned on staying.

" How long?" He asked in a brisk bass tone. The only visible feature of the man was his intelligent amber eyes, which glanced suspiciously at the sword on her back. The bulky metal helm with the green crest of the city etched into it covered the rest of him. The silverite reflected the light of the nearby street lamps and Saura suddenly felt a pang of compassion for the man when she caught a heady whiff of perspiration coming from him. How in the Makers name did the guards go all day in those damned metal prisons?

" How long?" The guard repeated with a note of annoyance.

" A couple weeks?" Saura said uncertainly and with a quick shrug. She had honestly no clue what her future plans were and hoped that while here in the city she could come up with something. The response seemed to work for the guardsman because he was shuffling some papers and stamped one firmly. He held it out to her.

" If you plan to remain longer you are required to fill out the appropriate paperwork at the town clerics office. Enjoy your stay in Nevarra's glorious capital." The guard rattled off the welcome speech in a monotone, which spoke leagues of how he felt about his job. Saura couldn't blame him.

The guard opened a gate off to the left and she was escorted into the city's market district. It was empty of merchants now, but Saura could only imagine the amount of activity within the square during the day. On the other side of the large square loomed the Chantry. It's cathedral-like visage and soaring towers were a sight to behold. Across the front, an enormous stained glass representation of Andraste had Saura stopping to inspect further. She'd never been very religious, although she did believe in the Maker, but more than that she appreciated the aesthetics of the old artwork. After a moment, Saura turned and took in the rest of the square. It was paved in the same white stone that she'd seen just outside the city and the flickering candlelight from the lampposts gave a dazzling glittering effect as she walked across it.

Saura began her search for the cheapest, disease-free inn she could find. As she walked through the vacant streets of the city she tried to get a feel for the atmosphere, or the tone that radiated from the people who inhabit it. But instead, all she could focus on was the rumbling of her stomach and the ache in her feet. At this point, she didn't care if the city was on the verge of revolution; she needed a meal and a place to rest. That was when she stumbled upon a modest two-story inn with a large vacancy sign posted out front. She looked left and right to scope out the area. It wasn't a rundown gang infested area, but an inn just on the outskirts of the merchant district. In fact, there was a café across the street and a tavern two doors down, which suited her just fine. Her mouth began to water at the possibility of a drink so she quickly marched into the inn and set up a weeks worth of pay.

An hour later, Saura was comfortably seated at a table near the front of the tavern listening to the local gossip idly. She felt much better now that she'd had a large meal back at the inn, consisting of stew and bread. The tavern was called The Slaver's Quarters. According to locals, this bar used to belong to a wealthy slaver who'd ship thousands of slaves at a time to the Imperium. But one night the captured slaves revolted, resulting in the death of every slaver present. The remaining slaves escaped, setting the place on fire before they fled. The original building had been burnt to the ground, but in memory of the event the tavern was built. Saura had only been interested in getting a bit drunk when she'd entered, but now knowing the story behind the bar; she was quite pleased at her choice.

As far as taverns go, this was one of the better ones Saura had ever encountered. Not that she was a drunkard, but she'd set foot in a few in her travels. There were a scattering of small round tables and a counter area in which the bartender stood behind, getting drinks for patrols seated on stools in front of it. There was a patio out back that was looking more and more tempting as the tavern began filling up. The wooden door was open, which allowed a cool breeze to flow through the otherwise stifled place, so she could just make out the wooden railing that overlooked a small expanse of grass. Saura looked up at the barkeep that was a mid-aged human man with three-day-old scruff and quick hands. Unlike other bartenders she'd encountered, this one was actually intelligent and mild-mannered. Although the way he was cracking his knuckles and glaring at the two men by the door on the verge of a fistfight, led Saura to believe he was much more than immediately met the eye.

Saura had been finishing up her honey mead and was ready to head back to the inn to get some rest when the group of idiot girls piled in. They were an obnoxious cloud of giggles and perfume that seemed to overtake the small tavern in a matter of seconds. Saura found her foot tapping the wooden floor as the sound level increased ten-fold. She swept a tendril of her dirty blond hair out of her blue eyes and placed it behind her ear that marked her as elven. Without seeing her ears there was no way to tell she was an elf, since instead of the usual straight nose, hers curved delicately. And yes, she was short, but not quite as short as the average elven woman.

" Did you see him?" One high-pitched girl's voice rang out across the tavern.

" What woman in her right mind could miss him? Maker he's gorgeous!" Another cried.

" Who are you talking about?" The mid-aged human woman sitting just in front of Saura at the bar area swiveled around to face the gaggle of girls just directly behind her. Saura peered discreetly over her glass of mead at the woman. Although older she was quite beautiful, Saura noted. Her long brunette hair was curled and fell in waves down her shoulders. She wore a pound of eyeliner and purple eye shadow and still somehow pulled it off. Her tight-fitting corseted blue dress accented her massive breasts and perfect figure.

Saura had to look away quickly to avoid facing her own insecurities in comparison to such a woman.

" You mean you haven't heard?"

Saura took a long draft of her honeyed mead.

" You've heard of the Champion of Kirkwall haven't you? And his companions that assisted in bringing down the Knight Commander in order to save the mages? Well, one of the Champion's companions is here within the city!"

" Which one?" The woman asked, scooting to the very edge of her bar stool.

" Fenris. It seems he just arrived early this morning! He's been seen around the city!" The giggles that followed seemed to etch themselves into her brain permanently. But despite this, her ears perked up at the news. She'd heard the stories about Garrett Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall and his companions. The band of unlikely allies that helped the city in the Free Marches from crumbling to the ground in the face of many threats, including that battle that drove the Champion from the city. The battle against the Knight Commander gone berserk. The Champion fought valiantly against all odds to save mages from needless slaughter, and then immediately fled into hiding. Saura wasn't much of a mage sympathizer, but she didn't agree with massacre, even against mages. It had been over a year since that battle and in that time, word had spread across Thedas of the amazing tale. Saura found the stories enthralling and quickly put a stop to the rising feeling of hero worship within her. Yes, the tales of the Champion made her smile. It wasn't every day that you heard a story that resulted in a happy ending. Yes, the Champion was forced to flee the city, but all of their lives were intact. Her favorite story of course was the one-on-one combat with the Arishok to save the life of his lover Isabella. Ok, Saura would admit it. She's a romantic. Although not quite on the same level as these babbling girls surrounding her now.

Saura took another long draft of her mead and attempted unsuccessfully to block out the high-pitched giggles surrounding her. She hadn't noticed the tavern's door opening, but was finally alerted to something being amiss when the bar fell into a long, uncomfortable silence. Footsteps echoed dully off the wooden walls and Saura looked up in time to see the throng of women jumping into motion to surround the newcomer. Saura hadn't thought it possible, but the giggles grew suddenly louder and squeals of delight had her covering her ears.

" Oh Maker! There he is!"

" Look at his battle-hardened body!"

" Those eyes! They seem to see inside my very soul!"

Throughout all of this noise, Saura distinctly heard a voice call to the bartender for a bottle of Agrisio wine."

Saura raised her head slightly to get a glimpse of the poor man, but the women in the room had formed a tight prison of bodies around him, which was impossible to see around. The mid-aged woman in front of her actually stood from her stool to get a look. She prodded the younger woman standing on her tiptoes just on her other side.

" There's something about that swagger that tells a woman all she needs to know about his bedroom performance. I bet he's a stallion!" The woman said. The girl on tiptoes burst into yet another fit of giggles.

" Agreed! And the way he looks up at you as if you're the only woman in the room!" The girl sighed longingly. " Let's see if we can—"

" OH BLOODY DAMNATION!" Saura roared, slamming her half-full glass down on the table. She stood so quickly that her chair tumbled to the floor, but she shouldered her way to the bar and paid no attention to the fact that the sound level in the tavern had dropped at her outburst. " Barkeep! Give me a shot of your strongest spirit!" She tossed a silver at the man who looked her up and down, running a large hand over the scruff on his chin. He gave her a long, doubtful look.

" You sure you can handle it girly?"

Saura glared daggers at the man.

" Just do it."

With one last skeptical look and shrug he turned and poured her drink. He turned back and handed her the glass without another word but paused as if waiting to show her she wasn't capable of taking it. But in one swift movement, Saura tipped her head back and swallowed the entire drink with a grimace and a slight shudder. She gave the barkeep a little curtsey and pushed her way through the crowd, grabbed her glass of honey mead and headed to the opened door leading to the abandon patio. As soon as she reached it, Saura shut the door behind her and breathed a sigh of relief. She retreated over to the railing overlooking the small patch of grass below that stood between the two buildings.

Saura groaned angrily. She wasn't normally so temperamental, but after being on the road for so long, all she'd wanted was a nice relaxing evening. All she'd wanted was to have a few drinks in peace and then return to the inn for a full nights rest. But of course her luck never turned out that way. She should have known. The cool evening air felt good on her skin and she found herself looking up into the sky and even with all the candlelight surrounding her, she was just able to spot a few stars above. Suddenly she felt a bit better.

After a few minutes of this, Saura decided to scrap the idea of staying at the tavern a moment longer. But before she could even turn to leave, the wooden door opened and shut quietly behind her. She didn't change her position, but just kept gazing up into the starlit sky.

" Escaping the madness within, I take it?" Saura asked companionably.

" You could say that." The person said in a deep, smooth voice. Footsteps sounded behind her and she heard the grating of wood on wood as he pulled a chair out from one of the small tables on the patio. She made no move to fill the silence that fell between them and actually found she appreciating the fact he'd chosen to remain taciturn. Minutes stretched on this way before he made an attempt at conversation.

" I…" The man hesitated and Saura relaxed her stance in a way she hoped would relay the message of openness. " I heard your exclamation inside. Do you disagree with what the Champion and his companions accomplished?" The question held a note of honest curiosity, not that of confrontation so Saura continued looking up at the almost otherworldly brightness of the stars, unfazed. Saura actually chuckled very softly at the question.

" No, it's actually quite the opposite." She explained. " I find it more than admirable what they did in Kirkwall. It takes a certain amount of backbone to stick up for what you believe in the face of opposition. Especially when that opposition is an army of angry Templars." Saura laughed, a low and throaty sound. She turned to look at her company and found the man sheathed in the shadow of the awning that covered the patio. The only features she could truly distinguish are the light color of his hair and the brightness of his eyes. The jagged line of his form suggested he was wearing some type of armor. " Everything the Champion and his companions did in Kirkwall was for the good of the citizens and I guess that's why I'm so angry. Instead of speaking of Fenris' amazing accomplishments, those women in there find it more pressing to speak of his possible performance in the bedroom." Saura said in a disgusted tone. She looked up sharply when she heard an odd choking noise coming from within the shadows and saw a darkened blur set down a glass.

" Is…is that what they're speaking of?" He asked after he'd finished coughing.

" Oh yes. And we can't forget how alluring and hypnotic his gaze is. As if he can see a person's soul. PLEASE!" Saura kicked the leg of the nearest table. " _This_ is what's wrong with Thedas these days. Instead of focusing on the good deeds the man accomplished they choose to drool over him like a pack of bitches in heat!" Saura grimaced and suddenly heard soft chuckles coming from the man in shadow.

" Cheers to that!" The man said, lifting his glass up. Saura lifted hers as well, feeling a genuine smile tug at her lips.

Just then the door flew open, emitting an unwelcome light onto the patio. The loud chatter of the tavern interrupted the beautiful silence they had been enjoying only moments before. Two women sauntered out onto the patio, one being the gorgeous middle-aged brunette.

" Fenris darling! There you are! We thought you'd left without saying goodbye, but here you are!" The brunette woman walked in long-legged strides over to her companion in the shadows. She snaked her arm through his. " Come brighten our evening with your company!" She purred seductively. The other girl took place at the man's other side and practically dragged him to the door.

Saura however, was numb with shock. She stood there with her mouth agape as she finally got a good look at the man she'd been speaking with when the women led him into a pool of candlelight. He was a lean elven man with an unusually tall frame. He wore dusty black armor that practically sang of his victories. A large two-handed greatsword was draped almost carelessly across his back and glistened dangerously in the lit doorway. But what truly held her attention was how the light fell on his pure white hair, resulting in an almost ethereal glow. The same effect occurred as her eyes traveled down to his face and neck, where white lyrium tattoos reflected the modest light in a way that had her wondering for a moment if they actually somehow gathered surrounding light. She finally looked into his intelligent green eyes that were currently twinkling in amusement as he watched the emotions play on her face. At the eye contact Saura was horrified to find she was growing hot with a blush.

Oh Maker! What had she _said_ to him?

" I—I…" Saura stuttered brilliantly and grappled with the right words to say in her apology to him. Her damned cheeks continued to blaze with an obnoxious blush and she tried to move her feet, but found they seemed to have lost feeling. Her heart pounded as she awaited the inevitable confrontation. But it never came. Instead, the tiniest hint of a smile curved his full lips upward as he surveyed Saura from the doorway.

" It has been an enjoyable evening after all." He said slowly, his gaze never faltering. " I am quite glad you have avoided my hypnotic gaze, otherwise we would not have had such a conversation."

Her blush somehow intensified as she stood there like a statue. He gave her a small smile and finally gave into the women's persistent tugs. The door shut behind them, leaving Saura alone to berate herself over and over again for her foolishness.


	3. Chapter 2

Thank you for the reviews and such! I really appreciate it! Oh, by the way….I don't own Dragon Age. Bioware does. Saura however, is mine! Enjoy!

Chapter 2:

Weeks had passed since that night, but Saura's embarrassment remained. Several minutes after Fenris and the women had disappeared inside the tavern, Saura had resorted to jumping off the patio to avoid further embarrassment and ran away with her tail between her legs. Not her finest moment, she confessed, but what's done is done. Two nights after the encounter Saura had returned to the tavern in hopes of seeing him again so she could apologize for her forwardness, but he'd never shown. In fact, she hadn't so much as caught a glimpse of him since then, but word on the street was that he was still within the city.

Saura sighed and attempted to shake Fenris from her thoughts. _How pathetic_, she thought. Instead she needed to focus on the task at hand.

In order to pay for her room at the inn, Saura had decided work was necessary. She'd gone traveling through the city streets only to find there was an abundance of work she could pick up. Saura was delighted to do most any job and jumped at any chance that presented itself. Mostly they were trivial things such as unloading cargo for merchants, but on occasion someone required the use of her warrior skills. She was currently employed under such circumstances to one of the wealthiest merchants in the city- Karl Marzemer. He required hired help to ensure his cargo made it safely into the city from the town next over. Bandits were known to intercept caravans and make off with the goods, and just recently, the bandits have been more active than ever. She had been hired as an extra sword to ensure the safe delivery of his goods. The coin was well worth the annoyance at having to travel the distance to the small town called Arkhan. It was a day's journey and Saura was heartily glad she'd made it to the village and found the caravan without incident.

Saura noted with a smile that the city was now within a couple hours' distance. However, this was the territory the bandits were known to strike at, so she kept a keen eye on her surroundings as they traveled. She was currently placed on the left side of the large wagon. She watched the two massive horses plod along their course in an almost lazy fashion. Three other swordsmen were positioned to the front, right, and rear of the wagon and she was quite glad for the distance. She wasn't in the mood for small talk, and one of the men kept eyeing her in a way that made her skin crawl. He'd attempted to engage her in conversation during rest stops and she would offer him short, but polite answers. Nonetheless, he seemed to inch closer to her the longer he tried to get her to talk and she'd almost been forced to threaten his life if he took another step closer. Luckily she'd been spared having to do this by the call to proceed again.

Now here they were within a couple hours of their goal and traveling at a good pace through the hilly terrain. Saura kept eyeing the jagged rock faces with suspicion, knowing that they would be the perfect cover for a band of thieves. They were entering a small valley with steep, rocky inclines on either side. Massive boulders were scattered across the landscape and as Saura peered up her side of the chasm she caught herself nearly reaching for her blade. She gave herself a mental slap and reminded herself that any such movement would alarm the others. And yet she still couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking right into an ambush. So she did the only thing she could, and kept alert eye on her surroundings.

Sure enough, just as they entered the center of the ravine Saura caught the glint of the suns rays off a blade behind a boulder nearly halfway up the edge of the incline. She had enough time to draw her sword and yell- " Ambush!" before the arrows started raining down upon them. She knocked an arrow away deftly by raising her blade to eye-level and keeping a steady hold of it. Saura was quick on her feet and darted off to her left behind the cover of a nearby boulder while she sought out her first target.

There. A hooded rogue was charging at her, his two vicious looking daggers held out in front of him. She met his attack with grace and deadly precision and knocked his blades away with a single arching swing of her sword. While he attempted to regain footing, Saura kicked out with her foot and knocked him to the ground. She thrust her sword deep into his chest and didn't linger to watch the crimson blood pool around him. Instead she turned back briefly and noticed with a jolt of alarm that one of her fellow warriors had been slain—the one with the uncomfortable looks. That left three of them against… 1,2,3,4,…7 bandits that she could immediately spot.

Shit.

Saura scaled the boulders like a lithe dancer and caught an archer by surprise as he aimed a killing shot at the driver. She sliced through his neck as if it were made of no more than butter, and grimaced as warm blood spattered her arms and face. She turned to target her next victim, only to find another of her companions lying motionless on the earth.

Double shit.

Saura needed to get closer to the wagon now as her defensive team lay dead. She needed to protect the cargo at all costs. Unfortunately that would also mean she'd become a sitting duck for the archers above. They had little choice however, and Saura sought out her remaining companion—a man with a rugged beard and build. He was further up the side of the ravine than her so she called to him, uncaring whether the bandits heard the instructions or not—

" Take out the archers! I'll cover the wagon!"

He grunted in what she assumed was ascent and made his way toward the final archer. Saura hopped from boulder to boulder and slid just in front of the terrified horse. One of the horses lay dead, with an arrow imbedded into its skull. The remaining horse was struggling against its bindings and as it reared up the wagon threatened to tip over. Saura did the only thing she could think as she gazed into the poor creatures frightened eyes and set it free. She cut through the leather reigns and unhooked it from the cart. The horse needed no further encouragement and bolted off into the hilly terrain.

Saura turned just in time to meet the attack of a bandit wielding an enormous mace and shield. She just caught a glimpse of two other bandits making their way down the steep incline toward her as well and made it a point to try and finish her current opponent off fast. Indeed, somewhere in the back of her mind Saura was aware that she needed to finish off this big guy in a matter of seconds before the other bandits descended upon her. Survival would be slim-to-none if she had all three to contend with at once.

The bandit struck out first with a mace nearly the size of her entire body. She dodged easily and returned the blow with a swing of her blade. However, the sword merely struck the bandit's shield with a resonating _thunk_. The vibration of the impact traveled up her arm and had her gritting her teeth in pain. She withdrew as quickly as she could by jumping back a pace just in time, because the bandit swept the mace through the air in the exact spot she'd just been with force that had her hair nearly standing on end. Unfortunately for him though, Saura had found her opening and didn't hesitate to take it. He was very powerful, but not quick enough. She struck hard into his left side, which was wide open during his attack. He was knocked breathless and his wooden shield clattered to the ground uselessly. She put all her force into the killing blow and avoided as much of his blood as possible.

" Just in time." She muttered, turning to face the remaining two rogues. They were equipped with daggers of various lengths, so she immediately registered that she had the length advantage. However, as quick as she was, she knew never to underestimate a rogue's agility. She could tell they were rogues by the way they moved with such stealth, and braced herself for attack. They were upon her all at once, one choosing to attack from the front, and one at her back. She dipped low and swept her blade out behind her unexpectedly. She was sure it would catch him off guard because he hadn't been expecting her to spot him. Indeed, she knew in milliseconds she'd been right. Her blow caught him mid shin and his screams echoed loudly across the ravine eerily.

Meanwhile, the rogue out in front jabbed at her with both daggers. She managed to avoid the left, but the right caught her upper arm and pain erupted, radiating down the length of her arm. Now she was pissed. Saura brought her sword back and focused all of her strength into one deadly swing that resulted in body parts flying through the air in all directions.

Saura took two seconds to breathe before turning to look down upon the first rogue. He was convulsing in agony and gripping his mutilated leg.

" I'm very sorry you've had to suffer. I'll end your pain now." She whispered, her heart clenching in her chest as she put the man out of his misery. He may have been her adversary, but she did not like to see any living being suffer. Being a warrior, she'd had to harden herself to the horrors of the battlefield. However, she absolutely abhorred suffering and because of this, when she struck out in battle she intended the blow to be fatal, so as to make their deaths as quick and painless as possible. Death still occurred, but her method helped her sleep a little better at night knowing their deaths weren't long or drawn out. What she'd done to the rogue would surely haunt her in her dreams tonight. She was rarely forced to do something like this, but as terrible as it was, it was also unavoidable.

Saura stood and was brushing the blood from the blade of her sword on a patch of withered grass when an explosion of pain in her right shoulder had her breath stopping. She nearly dropped her sword to the ground in her agony and looked down to find an arrow imbedded deeply into her flesh. She raised her head to find the archer nocking another arrow, and in a white-hot burst of pure instinct, she realized that he was preparing for the killing shot. No….no! She could not fail! She would not! But she was so far away….

Saura's survival instinct kicked into hyper gear and adrenaline pumped through her veins in such an amount that she was able to temporarily block out the searing pain in her shoulder. Her pupils dilated to a size that nearly covered the sky blue of her eyes as fear overcame her. She took two giant steps forward, trying to lessen the distance between them as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. Then she planted her feet and hurled her sword through the air with all of her remaining strength. She knew the chances were slim, and yet this was her only option if she wished to survive. Saura watched her blade slice through the air as if time had suddenly slowed to an irritating crawl. She prayed fervently to the Maker to let the sword hit its mark, and almost unbelievably, Saura watched as the blade cut through the archer's heart. He fell pathetically to the ground in a heap.

Saura was gasping for breath and with her left hand, she brushed away the sweat that was beading on her forehead. She allowed herself a look around at her surroundings and gasped at what she saw. Bodies littered the earth, including all of her companion warriors. She walked around to the front of the wagon to find an arrow sticking out of the driver's forehead.

"Maker's breath." Saura whispered shakily. She was the only survivor. The severity of the situation was slowly beginning to sink in as she went to retrieve her sword. All enemies had been disposed of, but still. What was she going to do now? Without a horse she had no hopes of getting the merchandise to the city. If she left it, who was to say more bandits wouldn't be lurking nearby to loot it as soon as she left? But what other choice did she have? She needed to get back to the city as soon as possible to get her shoulder looked at. The adrenaline was beginning to ebb, leaving in its place a good amount of pain.

Saura chanced a look down at her shoulder and hissed in agony at the simple movement. Blood was running down her right arm, creating a beautiful design of dark crimson. She needed to get the damned thing out and as unappealing as that sounded, she knew it was necessary. Saura was well aware that the blood loss would increase significantly without the arrow to stem the flow, but her pain had reached an unbearable level. Her thoughts were becoming hazy and she scrunched her eyes shut to try and get her brain to function normally. But after a second of this she abandoned the effort and went to the nearest bandit and tore off a large piece of fabric from his shirt. Then she sat herself down on a boulder and took a deep breath. Saura gripped the shaft of the arrow with both hands and yanked as hard and as quickly as she possibly could. Her screams rang through the ravine for minutes and tears streamed down her cheeks. Blood dripped down her chin from biting down on her lip in pain. The arrow came out cleanly, if not reluctantly, but at least the hard part was over. She sat there for several minutes gasping for breath before she made any further movement. Finally, Saura clumsily looped the fabric under her shoulder and in a half hazard fashion tied it with her left hand and teeth. The cloth should staunch enough of the blood for now so that she could make it back to the city in one piece.

When Saura went to stand however, the world began to tilt alarmingly. Quickly, she shut her eyes and took a couple deep breaths. Tentatively, she opened her eyes and took a couple steps forward only to find that her movements were weak and clumsy from loss of blood. Shit.

" Come on Saura!" She groaned. She started off reluctantly without the merchandise in the direction of Nevarra City. It was the longest trek of her life, and after a half hour of grueling walking, Saura's vision began to blur. Once again the ground tilted and with a small gasp Saura collapsed to the ground.

" No." She hissed, running a hand over her wound. It was sticky and wet with blood. Damn! She was _so close_! So close to the medical attention that she so desperately needed. The roadway was abandon and she lay upon the hard earth attempting to catch her breath with no luck. She felt as though her lungs had dropped into the soles of her feet and every ragged breath she took was a desperate struggle. Saura was going to die out here alone and insignificantly. She shook her head and grit her teeth at the thought.

"Andraste's Ass!" She cursed breathlessly. Saura knew she only had one option left now. She refused to die out here like this. There was still something she needed to do before she could die. His face swam in front of her eyes in a strange dream-like cloud. He looked down at her with the same malicious, uncaring, feral gaze he'd focused on her all those years ago. She shook the image away at once, but the rage she felt propelled her into action. Fresh tears threatened to spill over onto her cheeks but she refused to give in to the weakness as if he were actually present and watching her. She would never allow him to see any weakness. Instead, she prepared her mind for what she was about to do. The ache that had been building up inside her small frame seemed to leap up all at once as she held her hand inches away from her injured shoulder. Saura focused and suddenly felt tingling warmth radiating from her hand as she conjured the healing spell. Her body quivered as it gave in to the release of magic after so long, and she bit her lip to keep from moaning. She could feel her flesh beginning to knit itself under the healing heat of her spell. It was an odd sensation, although she was grateful for it now. And then as quickly as the spell had manifested, it ended, leaving her gasping. It wasn't nearly enough, she knew. But if she kept walking…

"Apostate bitch!"

Saura went to look toward the cry, but was never able to. Something heavy collided with the back of her head and everything went black.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 here we go! I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. I originally started this fic for a friend, and because let's face it…..Fenris is awesome. But it's grown into something much more than I'd anticipated and I just wanted to share it with others. Anywho, don't be afraid to review! Thanks! Oh, and P.S this chapter gets….dark. This fic is rated M for a reason. You have been warned.

P.S.S: Bioware owns Dragon Age. I own Saura. Cause I'm cool like that :P

Chapter 3:

Saura awoke just as she was slammed to the ground. She lay in a heap, unmoving, hoping to get some sort of grip on the situation. The first thing she registered was the strange way her arms were stretched back behind her, causing pain to flare up in the shoulder that the arrow had penetrated. Her wrists were bound by what felt to Saura like thick, knotted rope that dug painfully into her skin. She kept her eyes closed for fear of alerting her captors, and the longer she appeared to be unconscious, the more information she could obtain from them.

"So what now?" One deep voice asked.

"We take our time turning her in. There's no rush with this one. She's a nobody, so the reward will be slim. However, there are other rewards to be had." The second man chuckled in a way that had the blood freezing in her veins. It was at that moment she truly understood the dangers she faced. Her plan of pretending to be unconscious would not work on these men. Indeed, she heard the soft footsteps heading in her direction and without taking a moment to assess the situation, or for that matter, her condition; she jumped to her feet. She was aware of several things all at once. First, she quickly scanned the area to find that she must be in some kind of abandon warehouse. Boxes were stacked in a somewhat jumbled structure in the far corner, and daylight was streaming through a broken window several feet above them, illuminating the dust in the air. The light fell languidly upon the dusty earth just in front of her and shone brightly off the Templars helm. That was the second bit she noticed. There were two Templars standing before her looking down upon her with varying looks ranging from surprise to predatory hunger. Instinct had her hand twitching to reach for her sword, but the ropes constrained her and a wave of nauseating helplessness washed over her for a moment.

" Looking for this?" The nearest Templar asked, jerking a thumb back over his shoulder toward a spot near the corner of the warehouse where her leather scabbard and sword lay, looking pitiful in disuse. " You aren't actually stupid enough to believe we'd leave it within your grasp are you?" The Templar asked, laughing viciously.

Saura looked the two men over quickly, roving her eyes over the two of them in hopes of spotting some sort of visible weakness she could exploit. She saw none. The Templar closest to her had jet-black hair and even darker eyes that were currently twinkling in delight at his capture. He was lean and fit and young, probably a couple years older than herself. The other Templar had dirty blond hair that fell in curls across his forehead and was wearing a grin that spoke legions about where his mind was. Saura guessed he was most likely in his mid 30's.

Saura took two quick steps back and bent her knees in a battle-ready stance.

" Settle down, mage." The black haired Templar said, taking a slow step toward her.

Saura narrowed her eyes, but didn't move back further. Instinct had driven her to move back the first time, but her pride wouldn't allow another.

" I am no mage. You've made a mistake." Saura hissed.

" Do not try and deny what you are." The other Templar said, stepping forward into the pool of sunlight next to his comrade. " We saw you performing your healing magic." Saura nearly gave herself away at the mention of the healing spell. She'd almost forgotten the battle, the arrow to her shoulder, and her desperate attempt at healing.

" Maker only knows why you choose to wield a sword instead of a staff. If you have magical abilities why not use it?" The curly haired Templar continued carelessly.

" Don't be a fool Thallen. Think about it, if you were an apostate you would try and draw as little attention to yourself as possible. If she were to wield a staff it would be similar to having a large sign posted above her head declaring her talents. She was just scared." The black haired Templar sneered.

" I am afraid of _no_ Templar." Saura growled. The men exchanged looks briefly.

" Is that so?"

Saura was knocked back against the wall behind her within seconds. Her arms caught the brunt of the damage as they were tied behind her back, although her head received a knock as well. She'd seen his attack coming as if it were in slow motion, yet her movements were still sluggish from her lack of blood and she could not hope to counter it in time. It was the black haired Templar that had struck, and now his body was pressed up roughly against hers and his foul breath fanned across her face. She turned her head away from his and struggled frantically against the rope binding her wrists with no luck.

" Are you afraid now, little apostate? Do you _know_ what fun we're going to have with you?" His hands were traveling up her sides and he'd wedged a knee in between her legs. Thallen, the second Templar was at her side now looking down upon her with a fierce, lustful look in his eyes. Saura suddenly felt a hand on her breast and she screamed angrily, kicking out with her feet and thrashing violently against them. Thallen quickly grasped her ankles and yanked her to a sitting position. The black haired Templar grasped her face roughly and pressed his lips against hers hungrily. Saura tried to jerk away, but his hand held her.

" Scream all you want honey! No one is around to hear you, let alone save you! And even if there were someone around they wouldn't help a dirty apostate!" Thallen whispered in her ear, then running his tongue along it.

Tears glistened in Saura's eyes as she continued struggling to free herself. But all she was managing to do was open the would back up on her shoulder. She felt so utterly helpless as she tried to fight against them. There was nothing she could do now, she realized with a jolt of pure terror. They had her. The Templar on top of her was thrusting her pants down and began working on his own.

" NO!" Saura shrieked, fighting against them with renewed force, but still they remained in control. One was even laughing sadistically….

But suddenly, as she attempted once more to buck the Templar off her, he became still.

" Get off her. NOW. Unless you prefer your head severed from your neck."

The voice was a low, cool growl that had gooseflesh rising on her arms despite the heat. She tried to get a look at her rescuer, but all she could see was the glint of steel pressed against the Templar's throat.

" And don't you try anything either." The voice added, probably directing that at the other Templar. Sure enough, the black haired Templar adjusted his pants and stood. He backed away slowly, his hands stretched out in front of him. Thallen did the same.

" Don't you know what she is, serah? She's an apostate! We saw her performing magic with our own eyes!"

" I despise an apostate as much as the next, but if I must choose between the criminals here, I choose you." The voice said. Saura still hadn't caught a glimpse of him, as she was trying to wriggle back into her pants. She closed her legs, embarrassed, but thankful the man had arrived just in time. She suddenly felt a presence to her left and with a quick slice of a sword, her hands were freed. The rope dropped to the earth. Saura hurriedly pulled her pants up over her hips and stood. Her legs were wobbly, but held her weight as she stood and rubbed at the raw, angry marks the ropes had left on her wrists.

Saura looked up into the face of her rescuer to thank him for his intervention, but the words caught on her tongue. It was the man from the tavern. Fenris. He was facing her, but the sword was once again positioned against the Templar's Adam's apple. He stood looking at her face critically, but just a hint of distrust was there in his green eyes as he did so. His white-silver hair shone brilliantly in the sunlight and his eyes dropped to scan over her body for injury when suddenly his cheeks turned a dull pink. He averted his eyes and Saura looked down quickly to find that in all the commotion her leather top had been cut and ripped into useless ribbons that dangled around her shoulders. Her chest was completely exposed. Her immediate thought was to cover herself, but she tossed the idea aside as she stood thinking it over. He'd already seen. And she had more important things to attend to at the moment…

" Are you hurt?" He asked her, his eyes now upon Thallen, who stood a foot away from the other Templar, who had the sword to his throat.

" Physically? Yes." Saura responded finally, gingerly touching her now bleeding shoulder. " Emotionally? Yes." She walked over and grabbed her poor discarded sword. She wiped away the tears staining her cheeks and with a swift flick of her wrist, unsheathed her sword and plunged it deeply into the black haired Templar's chest. He gagged and choked on his own blood. Saura ripped the blade from his chest and watched him fall to his knees, blood splattering the dusty earth. Her rescuer made no move, except to lower his sword as she started toward Thallen.

" No! No, please! I have a wife and—"

" All the more reason. Cheating bastard." Saura said emotionlessly. She swept the head from his shoulders and turned away from the carnage she'd just created. Instead she looked up at Fenris, who stood by looking at the scene almost lazily. The only thing that gave away any emotion was the raising of his eyebrows. She replaced her sword in its scabbard and finally covered her chest. She could feel heat rising in her cheeks as she did so and looked away from him. He turned as well and quickly removed his chest plate and stripped off a black tunic and held it out to her.

" Put it on." He said simply, his back still turned to her. She took the tunic gratefully and slipped it over her head. She was enveloped in the musky smell of him and found that it wasn't at all unpleasant.

" Thank you. For….everything." Saura said softly. He turned back to face her as he adjusted his outer armor. He was looking her over again and his face showed no hint of what he must have been thinking. " You heard what they accused me of," Saura continued. " I don't deny it. I'm not sure I like the idea of being handed over to more Templars after this, but you may do with me what you will." Saura dropped her eyes, feeling utterly and completely defeated. Although she didn't say it out loud, the idea of Fenris killing her was implied. She could fight him, she knew. And for all she knew, maybe she could live (although she highly doubted it, even if she weren't injured). But after this day, after everything that had happened…she just couldn't fight it anymore. She couldn't continue fighting what she truly was. And if she were to die in battle, she fervently wished to fall upon the blade of a brilliant warrior. Someone like Fenris. Her one goal in life was no longer important to her in that moment, and she no longer felt the urge for survival. She was sickened by the curse magic had placed upon her life, marking her as a beast. She could no longer tolerate the reality that she was a monster.

There was a long silence between them and finally Saura couldn't stand it any longer and looked up to read his face. Emotions flitted across his chiseled features that she didn't completely understand. It was if he were trying to decipher something. Finally he looked into her eyes.

" Why so eager to throw your life away?"

The statement was simple, and yet profound. His words hit her like a ton of bricks and she just caught an edge of accusation in them. She immediately went on the defensive.

" How would you like living every day knowing you have the potential to burn a town to the ground, or control someone's mind? It's sickening!" Saura yelled. " I'm a monster! Magic has cursed my life and stolen away everything that ever mattered to me. Death is almost welcome after enduring all of this!" She didn't need to gesture toward the Templar's bodies for Fenris to understand the full meaning behind her words.

" So you are giving up?" He asked lowly.

Saura's head whipped around to glare at him, tears still glistening in her eyes.

" You'd never understand what I've been through." She hissed.

It was in that moment that Fenris understood that although she was supposedly offering her life to him, that she would never go down without a fight. Even as a tear trickled down her cheek she look fierce, standing there body tense. He made his decision.

" I will not kill you." He said slowly. He watched as her blue eyes widened in surprise. " And I will not turn you over to the Templars. I rarely do such foolish things, so you had better not make me regrets this." Fenris said with a slight narrowing of his green eyes.

" What? Why?" Saura blurted. She couldn't believe her ears and searched his face for any sign of a lie, but found none. He contemplated her question a moment before answering.

" I cannot say. But trust me when I say that you will have been one of very few apostates I have not seen taken care of one way or another." Again he narrowed his eyes and suddenly looked very menacing standing before her.

" I…I don't know what to say…" Saura said.

" You will remain within the city." Fenris said briskly, turning around as he spoke. " And you will let me know exactly where it is you reside, because I will be…checking in on you. Just to make sure you aren't just a very talented actress. For all I know, you could be a practicing _blood mage_, or one step away from becoming an _abomination_." He said the words _blood mage_ and _abomination_ as if they left a bitter taste in his mouth.

" So…you'd kill me if I were either?"

" Yes. In an instant." Fenris said, looking back at her over his shoulder with a sneer on his face.

And despite everything, despite the scene, and despite the fact that the proclamation was so horrifically forward, Saura grinned. A foolish, sincere smile that had her eyes twinkling. Fenris did a double-take as he saw the smile come across her face, and actually turned to look at her better, as if he were certain he weren't seeing her right.

" You would do that for me? I mean… I find it very touching you would be willing to do that. If I'd ever turned into a beast, I'd want someone to kill me and put me out of my misery."

A look of such astonishment crossed his face that in another situation, Saura would have laughed out loud. Then the look of astonishment quickly melted into a look that told her he was flustered.

" Well I—I wouldn't want innocent lives endangered." He growled, turning.

Saura couldn't wipe the smile off her face, mainly because she was worried if she stopped smiling she'd start crying again. She quickly gave him the name of the inn she was staying in and told him her name.

" I know I should be thanking you. And maybe someday I will. Someday when I have a reason for living." She bent her head low and looked down at her hands, thinking about the mana that coursed through her, beckoning her to use her gift. _Curse_, she thought. Glimpses of her past flashed across her mind, reminding her of the evils magic had brought upon her life. She shuddered and looked up to find him looking at her with those piercing emerald eyes. She refused to look away from him out of pride, but found her cheeks warming considerably under his sharp scrutiny. It was as though he could somehow read her mind…she mentally shook herself. Now she was starting to sound like those girls at the tavern! If she found herself thinking he could see inside her soul with his eyes she'd throw herself off the nearest cliff…

"Leave." He said finally, his eyes once again narrowed and dangerous looking. " Before I change my mind."

His brisk words didn't phase her however. And she walked passed him slowly. As she did she looked up into his hard face once more and smiled softly at him. In spite of his threat, he'd also saved her from those Templars, and she would never forget what he'd done for her this day.

" Thank you Fenris, I look forward to your visits. Fare thee well." And with that, she walked passed him and into the setting sun's orange glow.


	5. Chapter 4

So how did you like Chapter 3? Sorry it took so long, but I just started a new job. I'm sure you don't care, but I needed an excuse. Lol! Anyway, enjoy chapter 4!

Bioware owns Dragon Age. Lucky them.

Chapter 4:

It had been two weeks since that day, and Saura was as busy as ever trying to find decent work to pay the innkeeper for her constant presence. Her shoulder was healing beautifully without further use of magic, and she was pleased to find that her secret remained so. With the exception of Fenris of course. Saura hadn't even had the opportunity to ask Fenris what he'd been doing in the outskirts of the city near that abandon warehouse. Not that it really mattered in the end, Saura thought. She was just curious. But she would try to remember to ask him this evening during his first "visit".

She couldn't pinpoint why she was so nervous exactly. She only knew that she was worried he would imagine blood magic where there was none and run her through with his sword. Or worse, that he'd delved into her past somehow and was now on his way over to kill her. Oh Maker! What had she done? She was quite skilled, yes, but she doubted she could match his prowess in battle. Nor did she ever want to find out. Despite her moment of weakness the day Fenris had come to her rescue, her will to live was strong. She couldn't allow herself to rest yet. There was still one more thing she had to accomplish…

Saura paced the small area that made up her current living quarters. She'd tidied up so that it looked halfway decent and waited impatiently for her "guest". Her mind drifted back to the job that had taken her out of the city that day. Marzemer, the merchant who'd hired her had been notified as soon as she'd returned to the city. He'd immediately sent a team out to retrieve the goods, which thankfully, were in tact when the team arrived. Marzemer had refused to pay her the amount he'd promised, saying she hadn't held up her end of the bargain. Saura sighed heavily as she remembered the way his face had contorted in rage when she'd relayed the news. His screams still echoed in her skull. He'd called her everything he could think of and more, but settled with what touched the biggest nerve with her—an incompetent, inadequate warrior who was incapable of saving a blasted horse. Great. Just what she needed. A rich, influential enemy.

A knock on the door nearly startled her into a heart attack and she jumped a mile. Taking a second to breathe deeply and center herself, she then made her way quickly to the door. She opened it to reveal a particularly ill-tempered looking Fenris. His arms were crossed over his chest and his face was already molded into a full-blown sneer. His white hair was swept back in a way that told Saura it must be windy outside. She also noted the sword slung across his back and the armor he'd dressed in. Just in case. Great. Their eyes met an instant before he looked quickly away, as if eye contact could leave him susceptible to possession.

" Come in." Saura stepped aside to allow him entrance. His keen eyes swept across the room in the slight hesitation it took him to cross the threshold. His long legs only required two paces before he was in the center of the room. Saura shut the door and turned to face him. He looked very out of place all decked out in his armor and yet surrounded by her ordinary room. She suddenly felt awkward standing there and felt the need to fill the silence…but what did one say in a situation such as theirs?

" Would you like something to drink?" She asked. " I can make—"

" No." He replied flatly.

"Umm…alright. Have a seat." Saura indicated to one of the two chairs at her small round table situated in the tiny kitchen area.

" If it's alright I'd like to take a look around." He said sharply, not waiting for her permission and instead watched as he strode quickly over to a small desk and open the drawer.

" Yeah, go ahead." Saura's tone lowered to a pitch that matched her change of mood. One of defense and business. " I have nothing to hide."

Fenris didn't reply and continued rifling through all of her belongings. She was surprised to see him setting things back where they belonged instead of leaving a mess for her to clean up. He didn't speak as he worked and Saura sat back at the small table and watched. She drummed her nails on the table, a nervous habit she'd developed over the years. She stopped the moment she realized what she was doing.

" What do you think you'll find?" Saura asked with honest curiosity. He didn't bother turning around when he finally decided to answer her.

" As the ex-slave to a Tevinter magister I am quite familiar with the necessary tools for a blood magic ritual or spell. And any pendant or jewelry infused with blood magic I can easily detect given my many years of close contact with them. I know the signs, I know what to expect, and I am well versed in determining the influence of a demon." He finally stood and faced her.

" You have nothing here in this room that points to blood magic or corruption." He fixed her with his unflinching gaze. " However, I am no fool." Fenris closed the space between them before she could even finish blinking. His face was a mere two inches from her own and she resisted the urge to back away. To do so would show cowardice, and she could not afford that. He was searching her eyes with his own, and between the eye contact and close proximity, she could feel a blush creeping into her cheeks. _Damn it!_ _She was being ridiculous!_

Suddenly his hand grasped her wrist and gently turned it over. _He must be looking for cuts—healed wounds_, she thought idly. He did the same with her other, but as he was turning her arm over she flinched. His head snapped up at this.

" An arrow to my shoulder. Took it two weeks ago." She looked up into his suspicious eyes and sighed. Saura took a step back and pulled the collar of her tunic down to reveal the healing wound. It had scabbed over and she was well aware that she would be left with a jagged scar. But at least she'd survived. She replaced her tunic.

" You've experienced enough battles to know what an arrow wound looks like I suspect."

" Yes." He replied curtly. He turned on his heels and with his back turned to her said—" I have seen nothing to suspect you of corruption, but I have found that when mages are pushed, they will resort to just about anything to survive."

Saura was well aware of the dire situation she was in. He was keeping her secret when all he had to do was open his mouth once on the street and she'd be whisked away to the Circle. She was also very aware of the fact that when pushed, Fenris could be very, very dangerous, if the tales were true. She knew she should have kept her mouth shut…but that just wasn't her style. Regardless of who he was, she didn't need him assuming anything about her.

" Don't speak as if you know what to expect of me. You speak in generalities, and until you know me personally, I ask that you keep your predictions to yourself." Saura growled. Fenris whirled around to face her, giving her a look that told her she'd just made a huge mistake. And yet in knowing this, it seemed to have the opposite effect on her and gave her courage to keep going. " And as for the label '_mage_', you can shove that up your ass. I'm no mage." The rage she felt at his words burned hot throughout her body, sending adrenaline coursing through her veins. She gave him the fiercest glare she could muster and for once, turned her back on him. The demand that he leave was on her tongue when he took her wrist again and spun her back around to face him. His face was so close to her own that she could feel his breath on her face, his green eyes had brightened to a shining emerald in his rage. She could feel his pulse against her wrist, which was drumming against her rapidly in his anger. He looked positively frightening.

"Are you sure it's wise to provoke me?" He asked quietly. And again, she knew she should have answered with an apology, but her anger matched his.

"I could care less." She retorted. " I know what I am, and I am _no_ mage. I am a warrior. And if you were so intent to label me corrupt, you should have done us both a favor and killed me yourself that day." She continued to glare up at him and waited for him to draw his sword. He made no move to do so. " I may possess magical abilities, but I refuse to acknowledge it. I struggle against its call every single day. I fight it so hard that after weeks of disuse, it turns against my body in its battle for release. It feels as if it is eating away at my insides, clawing for escape. And _still_ I do not give in. The only time I allow the use of magic is when I am in mortal danger, or the pain of holding it back becomes so unbearable that I have no choice but to give in." Saura was horrified to find tears were once more threatening to spill over onto her cheeks. _Andraste's ass!_ Why in damnation did she lose her composure so often lately? She noted through her haze of tears (which she fought to hold in to the best of her ability) that Fenris' narrowed eyes had eased up into a look that was unrecognizable to her. " I know the monster I am better than anyone. This damned taint has stripped everything that I care about away from me. I fight against it with every breath I take, and yet here you are accusing me of blood magic!" Saura laughed bitterly and dropped her head. " And I suppose I cannot even blame you." _I will not cry again_, she vowed. _Not in front of him_.

His gaze locked onto her own as she again raised her head and they stood this way for what felt to her like several long minutes. She understood why she was so angry with him. Because she feared the same things he did. She feared she would somehow succumb to the magic that coursed within her.

" Why do you deny yourself such power?" He asked slowly.

" Because I have power enough with my blade." Saura said abruptly. But looking up at Fenris, she knew that he required more of an explanation than that. She sighed.

" Alright. Years ago, when I was just a child, I watched as my mother was murdered at the hands of a Tevinter magister. He used a horrible spell using blood magic. It was…awful." The shudder that traveled through her, and the unspeakable amount of pain that crossed her face as she said this told Fenris all he needed to know. He did not doubt the truth of this confession. "Ever since that day I swore I would never use my magical abilities. I would never allow myself to use such a powerful and dangerous weapon. A weapon that could change me into something as cruel and heartless as the man that killed my mother."

Fenris let go of Saura's wrist. She was looking down at the floor with a look of such sadness that for a moment, Fenris was transported back to a time when pain was all he knew. He could understand such sorrow, because he too had lived it.

"You are unlike any mage I have ever known. You have all the power you could ever dream of at your fingertips, and yet you refuse to use it. Many would not hesitate to utilize such power." Fenris paused and studied her as if she were a complex puzzle he could not yet decode. He caught himself after a moment and looked away. " I…apologize for my forwardness today. I am just making sure you aren't dangerous. It is unlike me to let an apostate run free, but again…you are very different from any apostate I have ever encountered. It seems you have changed all the rules." It looked to Saura as if he were trying to convince himself. He looked away and slowly shook his head. He then turned to the door as if to leave and with his hand on the doorknob, he paused. " And…I am sorry about your mother. I have lost much at the hands of a Tevinter magister as well."

Saura blinked in shock. Did she hear right? Had he just apologized and given his condolences? Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. I mean…he had saved her to begin with, and was now keeping her secret.

"Thank you." She said to his back awkwardly. He nodded swiftly and pulled the door open.

"Fenris." Saura called before he could disappear down the hall. He turned back ever so slightly to look back at her. "Will you be returning?" She asked, and all at once reddened as she realized how that must have sounded. " I mean…to check in? To make sure I'm no abomination…" Her voice trailed off.

Their eyes locked again and there was a moment of silence as Fenris considered.

" I may stop by now and again to make sure I do not regret my decision." He said finally.

Saura's face split into a magnificent grin, which had Fenris once again looking puzzled.

" Great! I'll make sure to have something to eat next time. It's nice to have visitors…even in this situation." Her eyes sparkled excitedly at the thought. She could have sworn she saw a bit of pink rise in his cheeks, but later dismissed it as the lighting. He grunted, turned, and walked down the hall and out of sight.


	6. Chapter 5

And here we are on chapter 5 already! Woo hoo! Anywho, on with the story! And…Bioware owns Dragon Age.

Chapter 5:

Several days had passed since Fenris' visit. Saura busied herself with more odd jobs around the city and found that as a whole, Nevarra City wasn't all that bad! She never really liked the city scene before, but the people were nice enough, and work came easy. She'd even caught a glimpse of the alienage and was pleasantly surprised to find it well maintained as far as alienages go. She kept as far away from the College of Magi as she possibly could. The College would host an array of mages from the Circles of the nations who convened every so often to make decisions. Saura knew she was probably just being silly, but she worried the mages would somehow be able to detect her magical abilities and drag her off to one of the blasted Circles. It wasn't being locked up within its confines that terrified her. It was the teaching of magic.

Saura ached all over. She had just finished up a manual labor job delivering packages to upper class clients. The herbalist she'd been hired by had given her crates of potent health mixtures to deliver in bulk to his customers. Her right shoulder was on fire even though it was almost fully healed. The muscles protested angrily at the heavy lifting she'd been doing all day. She rolled it now, hoping to relieve some tension.

It had been one of the longest days of her life and now as she walked through Nevarra City's streets it was quite late. The sun had set several hours ago and she was currently walking at a snails pace back to her room at the inn. The candles within the lampposts flickered cheerily as she strode passed, illuminating the path. A cool breeze swept her dark golden hair away from the nape of her neck, and although she always pulled her hair up into a ponytail, her hair had been sticking to her neck. But now she was thankful for the breeze and continued on her way, wanting nothing more than a nice long bath. Her hardened red leather armor was slick with the sweat of the day and she suddenly wished she could peel it off along with her heavy sword draped over her back. She never went anywhere without either, but at the moment she wanted to be back in her inn relaxing in the tub naked.

She cursed under her breath as she placed one foot mechanically in front of the other. Why in Thedas did the job have to be situated on the opposite side of the massive city? Her feet were killing her….

She awoke abruptly from her inner pity party as the sounds of a scuffle met her ears. She halted, body tense, and attempted to locate the source of the sound. There. To the left. The noises were coming from the opposite side of the merchants square she'd just entered, and she crept closer to find a group of figures swathed in dark shadows. They were just out of the reach of the lampposts soft glow in one corner of the square. Taking another silent step closer, she noted there was five large figures huddled around a petite one.

" I'm sick and tired of your shit Karyn!" Yelled one figure- a man by the sounds of it. He pushed the figure back against the wall roughly. Saura could just discern the dull _thunk_ noise as Karyn's head met the stonewall behind them.

" Please serah!" Came a desperate feminine voice. " I do not even have coin enough to feed my children! Please, give me another month and by the Maker I'll—"

"Bullshit!" Roared another.

"It's been several a fortnight already Karyn. We've been patient enough. Pay up or meet my blades."

The smaller figure slumped to the ground sobbing.

" No, please have mercy! I cannot find work!" The sobbing grew hysterical as one figure brandished two ornate daggers.

"Well that's not very nice." Saura called tauntingly, stepping out of her hiding place without giving herself a moment to fully think through her decision. Heads whipped around at the sound of her voice and all five figures turned to face her while pulling out an assortment of weapons. "Five against one isn't really fair is it?"

"None of your business you knife-eared bitch! Get lost!" Yelled one of the figures with a set of matching daggers. He stepped closer menacingly.

"Hmm…no I don't think so. You see, I take offense to your continued breathing." Saura growled, unsheathing her sword. " We'll have to fix that."

The five men charged at her all at once, and for the briefest of moments, Saura wondered if she could survive an attack of so many. Well, too late for second thoughts.

Without further time for idle thoughts, her brain kicked into tactical mode and she surveyed the impromptu battlefield. Two men were three steps ahead of the others, so naturally, she went for them first. She struck out mightily, plunging her sword up to the hilt in the first man's belly. He dropped his massive maul as his eyes rolled back into his skull. She kicked his body from her blade and jumped back a pace just in time. The man carrying the matching set of daggers went in for a sideswipe but instead swept the air, sending a cool blast of air that ruffled her golden hair. She dropped suddenly to the ground and knocked the man's legs out from under him with such force that she could hear him wheeze as the air was knocked out of his lungs. The slowest of the five descended upon her all at once in a tight group. She stepped back to gain leverage and in a massive, sweeping arc, she heaved her blade through the air catching every one of them in the midsection. All but one died instantly, and she quickly finished the job. She turned to find the man she'd tripped already on his feet.

"You whore!" He rumbled. " You'll pay dearly for messing with us!"

The man surprised her with his agility as he came at her, daggers glinting in the candlelight. Saura was more than ready however, and countered his attack easily. The sound of metal on metal reverberated through the empty square.

"You're strong!" Saura managed through gritted teeth. Even under pressure, the surprised tone of her voice was unmistakable. She put all her weight into her sword and forced the man back a couple steps. She took the opportunity it was taking him to regain his balance to jump forward, slicing her sword across diagonally. The result of which splattered against the walls sickeningly.

It took Saura a minute to catch her breath and force down the nausea that was building as she looked upon what she'd done. Even after living her life on the road, engaging in countless battles, sometimes to this day she became physically sick afterwards. She hated death. She despised the idea that she had caused it…but she'd come to realize there was no other way she could possibly survive.

"What have you done?"

Saura whirled around at the voice and saw the petite Karyn staring at her with widened green eyes that shone with tears. Her mid-aged, slightly wrinkled face was wet with the tears she'd already shed. The woman was elven, Saura noted, looking at the pointed ears popping out from graying brunette hair. She held her hands to her mouth in terror and even from five feet away, Saura could see she was trembling.

" I…think I just saved your life." Saura said bluntly. She wasn't expecting a golden plaque or anything…but a thank you would have been nice. Her words seemed to trigger something in Karyn because she took her hands away from her mouth.

" I cannot thank you enough, serah. Pardon my rudeness, but do you know whose blood you've just spilled?" Her words were so low that Saura had to tilt forward to catch them.

"Umm…should I?"

Karyn suddenly looked unbelievably weary as she stepped forward toward the nearest body. Saura noted the odd way the woman moved when she walked, swaying as she placed far more weight upon her right leg than she did her left. She knelt down and began searching the body for something. Probably coin.

"These men are a part of the Thieves Guild of Nevarra City, messere. They will not let this go unpunished." Karyn stood back up, holding a shining golden locket in her hands now. Fresh tears rolled slowly down her face. " I am so sorry, but I have condemned you to death for your involvement here!"

Silence filled the dark merchants square as the information sunk in. Well, this wasn't good. Wouldn't be the first time she'd made herself a target though…

"Please serah, take this!" Karyn pleaded, holding out the necklace. " I had given it to the thieves as payment, but it wasn't enough. It was my mother's and it is very rare and worth at least a couple gold pieces. I know this does not in any way begin to repay you for your kindness, but I would like you to have it."

"No. I do not require any compensation." Saura said quickly. "You need that necklace far more than I do. And here." Saura tossed a gold piece in the air, which Karyn caught clumsily. " You'll need as much coin as you can if you're going to flee the city. You need to get out of here immediately. Take your family and flee north to a small town called Solas. It is a lovely town that will be happy enough to take your family in."

"But serah…thank you, but I cannot—"

"Your leg. Injury or deformity?" Saura asked.

"Injury. Years back. All the bones in my lower leg were shattered after a wagon tipped over and fell upon it. I didn't have coin enough to pay the healer to fully heal me. It still pains me more often than not." Karyn looked so small standing there in the dark. Her head was hanging and she was brushing away more tears as they fell softly down her face. She looked so beaten down by the world and all it had dealt her, and Saura felt sympathy stir within her for the woman's plight. She placed a comforting hand upon the woman's shoulder and smiled.

"There is a good man by the name of Corbin Yevitts at the Merriam estate to the east of town. Go to him and tell him Saura sent you. He'll take care of you and make sure you get a job that won't be too painful for you."

And then suddenly Saura had the breath squeezed right out of her as Karyn embraced her fiercely.

"Thank you! Thank you so much miss Saura!" Karyn was sobbing almost uncontrollably now. " I cannot tell you how sorry I am to have gotten you mixed up in all of this! But I will do as you ask and leave the city this very night. Please, please be careful. The thieves guild will not rest until they find you."

Saura smiled bitterly at the warning.

" Well, I'll deal with that in time, I'm sure. But as you have seen, I know my way around the sword so they'll have their work cut out for them."

"Yes, yes. Well, may the Maker light your path serah! Thank you again!" Karyn bowed lowly and limped quickly off in the direction of the alienage, leaving Saura with her darkening mood. Great. She'd inadvertently picked a fight with the notorious thieves guild. She'd be dead within the week if they discovered this was her doing, and all because she had to be a righteous soul. Damn it all.

A knock sounded on her door two nights later, sending Saura nearly to the ceiling as she jumped. She turned and eyed the door with mistrust. She'd kept her sword more closely at hand than usual since she'd killed the thieves, (which was really saying something), and now was no exception. She grasped the leather handle tightly and tiptoed toward the door slowly. In one fluid movement she flung the door open and crouched into a battle-ready position, only to find Fenris on the other side. He raised an eyebrow, but otherwise looked bored. He stood there a moment and Saura noted the way his arms were crossed before his chest, and the way his tattoos seemed particularly pronounced today.

"Expecting someone? Or have you finally decided you dislike my visits?" He asked cynically. Saura let out a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding and dropped her sword.

"Fenris. It's you. Come in." Saura stepped aside to allow him entry. She shut the door behind him and turned to explain.

"I apologize for that. I've…made some enemies." Saura started. There was no sense in trying to keep it from him, she thought. She waited for his angry words…but none came. In fact, he didn't seem at all surprised by her admission.

"Yes. I am aware. Your scuffle was situated just outside the inn where I'm staying. I heard everything."

Saura stared at him, completely dumbstruck.

"You…did?"

"Yes. And let me say, you're right to be cautious. In fact, in all truth it may have been the stupidest thing you could have done." Saura glared daggers at him, but he continued on unfazed. " But, as far as I could tell there were no other witnesses to the act, and you were smart enough not to leave a trail, so you should be safe here for the time being. So I do not want you fleeing the city just yet, and in fact I will ask that you stay so that I can monitor you."

Saura rolled her eyes and plopped down into one of the chairs at her kitchen table.

"I wouldn't dream of going anywhere without your approval Fenris dear." She said mockingly, to which Fenris narrowed his eyes. " I wasn't planning on going anywhere. But it is good to know there were no other witnesses." Saura admitted.

Fenris nodded and shifted his weight nervously as his eyes wandered over the small space of her living quarters. Saura popped up from her chair and grabbed a pitcher and two glasses and filled them both up with a yellow liquid. She held a glass out to Fenris, who eyed in warily.

"Just take it." Saura said with a sigh. "It's fresh squeezed lemonade, and I guarantee it'll have been the best thing you've had to drink all week. Alcohol excluded of course." Saura took a long drink of hers, savoring the tangy sweetness. Fenris held up the glass and looked at it carefully with narrowed eyes. He sniffed it once, and finally took a sip after watching her drink her own. His eyes widened ever so slightly.

"What did you call this?"

"Lemonade. You like it?" Saura watched him closely.

"Yes." Fenris admitted almost begrudgingly. "It is…unlike anything I have ever tasted before."

"Oh, that's the poison!" Saura said brightly. Fenris' head snapped up, an alarmed look on his face. Saura burst out laughing. She laughed so hard tears sprang into her eyes and her stomach began to ache.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself." She finally managed, watching the mix of anger and distrust flit across his features. She took his glass from him and took a sip. "There, see? No poison. I just have a sick sense of humor apparently." She handed it back to him.

"For someone in your situation, you are awfully cheery." Fenris hissed, setting the glass down on the table with a little more force than necessary. Saura, who had been setting her glass off to the side of the counter, stopped a moment.

"My situation?"

She turned to look at him in her confusion, only to find him a breath away. He loomed over her menacingly, meeting her eyes directly. She made an effort to move away from him only to find her back pressed uncomfortably into the wooden counter. His hand shot out to the wall behind her, trapping her. It took more effort than she'd hoped to look up at him calmly, but she could feel her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Shit. Now she'd really done it.

" I hold the very key to your survival, I suggest you start acting like it." Saura began opening her mouth to spit a retort when his next words had her pausing. " I dislike being mocked."

To this day, Saura couldn't pinpoint what it was about that last sentence that had her holding her tongue. Maybe it was the honest way he said it, even in his anger. But looking up into his eyes, that were so close to her own, she could see the painful truth there. It was at that moment that all fear left her. They hadn't known one another long enough for her to actually hurt him with her words, but it was the situation itself that bothered him. No one liked being made fun of, but for him, she could see it made him nearly livid. She wondered why…

"I wasn't mocking you." She said softly, and yet with no hint of fear, because quite honestly, at that moment she felt none. All she felt was a longing to understand him a bit better. " I just wanted to lighten the mood. My mistake. Next time I'll tell the joke about the mage that blew their arse off."

Fenris blinked. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He looked completely, and utterly confused. And that had the smile spreading on Saura's face. He looked cute when he was baffled. Like a little lost puppy. She loved the way his sensuous lips curved downward in a slight frown, and the way confusion played in his eyes.

" So…wanna make out?" She said with a grin, after he'd made no attempt to move away from her.

Fenris' eyes widened as he abruptly came to. He almost jumped back in his urgency to widen the space between them. He hadn't realized how close he'd been to her. He could still feel the warmth on his leg where their bodies had connected…

"Kidding." Saura grinned. She finished putting her glass away and turned back around. "So what can I do for you Fenris? I mean, besides the usual avoidance of blood magic and demons."

He was looking at her with a peculiar expression on his face, as if he didn't really know how to respond to her. Finally, he must have come to some kind of conclusion and his anger seemed to melt away. He sighed.

"You are the strangest woman I have ever met. And trust me, that's quite the feat." He ran a hand along the back of his neck as if he were trying to relieve some tension there. " How you make light of such things, I will never understand."

"It's a talent."

"Truly." Fenris said dryly. He paused a moment to collect his thoughts. He watched the woman closely as she busied herself trying to straighten out her table. Try as he might, he could not picture her situated at home. She looked so out of place in her leather armor and sword draped across her back. The mundane tasks of daily living seemed strange as she performed them. He pictured her out amongst a battlefront, waging wars against darkspawn. Not tidying a kitchen. And yet here she was looking so…harmless. But this thought of her harmlessness hadn't been what propelled him here this evening. It had been two nights ago when he'd witnessed the fight with the thieves. He had witnessed everything. He'd witnessed how skilled she truly was in battle, and how effortless it had all seemed to her. But what had been the cornerstone of his decision had been the fact that she had never once used her magic…even when outnumbered so greatly.

Fenris sighed again and prepared himself for what he was about to do.

" I have a request." He finally managed. Maker, how he hated asking for assistance.

Saura looked up at him from her work, a slight crease forming in the center of her forehead just above her eyes. A sudden ominous feeling swept over her.

"And that is?"

Fenris didn't answer immediately…as was usual it seemed. He instead took to pacing the room, his face a mask of seriousness.

"I've caught wind of a secret slave caravan passing through the city tomorrow night. I plan to intercept it, but I'll need help. The slavers usually travel in groups of four or more to keep the slaves in line, but from what I hear this caravan is a bit larger than average. I expect nearly double that amount, and one warrior against a pack of slavers is suicide." He finally turned and looked directly at her for a moment, before looking away almost sheepishly.

"And you think I'm right for the job? I thought you didn't trust me." Saura couldn't help but say.

"I saw you last night, and I know what you're capable of. You're a very talented warrior, and one I would trust at my back." Fenris held his tongue and left it at that. He could have added that he trusted that she wouldn't turn against him, but held back because that would have sounded foolish. But that didn't stop him from thinking that way. Indeed, the way she was so open with her feelings he couldn't help but trust her, regardless of her situation.

Saura nodded, seeming content with his answer.

"Ok, I'll do it."

"What? That's it?" Fenris asked incredulously.

"Yep." Saura said. She smiled at him again and stretched her arms, which had been aching since the fight with the thieves. "Not much more I need to know is there? I'm always up for slitting some slaver throats!"

Fenris stared at her a moment before responding.

"You seem…particularly intrigued by this."

Saura shrugged.

" I've never been affected personally if that's what you're asking. But I am more than aware of the plight of our people. Slavery is sickening and should be stopped at all costs." Her eyes were bright with true anger now as her memories came flooding back to her. Memories of no one she knew personally, but as she walked the streets in Tevinter years ago, she remembered countless times seeing slaves beaten in the streets for insignificant things. Looking back on it now, Saura wished fervently that she had intervened then…

Saura was too focused on her own memories to see the flash of emotion that appeared on Fenris' face. He turned his head away, allowing his luminous silvery hair to conceal it.

"If that is how you feel then we are on the same page. I expect this caravan to contain eight slavers. Can you handle that?"

"No problem." Saura replied, not missing a beat. Fenris nodded.

"Meet me at the old warehouse district near the edge of the city tomorrow night at sundown. We'll prepare our attack then."

"I look forward to it!" Saura said brightly, flashing another bright smile.

Fenris left shortly after that with few words spoken between them. Mainly because Fenris was baffled at her attitude toward him. Saura should hate him for the knowledge he had hanging over her. He could turn her over to the Templars at any moment if he chose to, and yet she acted as if it didn't bother her at all! In fact…she seemed to act as though they were…friends. Fenris snorted at the thought as he traveled back through the darkened streets toward his inn. He couldn't picture it. She was…odd. And no matter how harmless she seemed she was still an apostate, and a very talented warrior. She was dangerous. And yet…

Fenris slowed to a stop as his mind wandered back to the way she'd smiled and joked with him tonight. She seemed so sincere. She'd even seemed as if she'd looked forward to seeing him again.

"She's utterly insane." He grumbled gruffly.

And yet….Fenris couldn't stop the strange and foreign feeling welling up inside him as he thought of her. He remembered the way she passionately revealed her circumstances to him. The way tears had gathered in her eyes as she told the story of how her mother had met her demise at the hands of a magister, and how she fought against using her magic every day. He rarely trusted anyone. But he trusted her. He knew he should keep his distance, but he found himself longing to know more about her.

At these thoughts, he swore violently and continued back toward his room at the inn.


	7. Chapter 6

Thank you so much for the reviews! I honestly don't know that I would continue writing this without all of your support! ^^

Ok, chapter 6! Let's do this!

Bioware owns Dragon Age.

Chapter 6:

Waiting for sundown was frustrating to say the least. Saura was both nervous and excited at the prospect of freeing innocent slaves, and to avoid nervous pacing, she attempted to busy herself the entire day. She washed her armor and polished the light blue jewel imbedded into it, which was situated at the center of her chest, where it held in place the two straps of leather that came across her upper chest. She polished her sword and sharpened it until she was certain it would be deadly when connecting with flesh. After that she tidied up her room and finally gave in to the urge to pace a trench into her floor. Finally after what seemed like a decade had passed, Saura looked out the window and noted the low position of the sun. She went over her mental checklist one last time to make sure everything was in order, and then slid her sword into its scabbard, flung it over her back, and walked out the door.

Minutes later she was standing in the center of the old warehouse district watching the few passerbies. She attempted to look nonchalant, which was nearly impossible while wearing armor and a sword strapped to her back. So Saura decided to relocate into one of the shadowy corners of the square when she suddenly felt a presence behind her. Without turning, she knew it was Fenris.

"This way." Was all he said. Saura abruptly changed her path and followed him as he crossed the street and entered a particularly ominous looking warehouse that seemed to Saura as if it had been in disuse for the last Age or so. She couldn't resist the urge to study his back as he led the way. He was very toned, she noted, and admitted that his black armor suited him wonderfully. Fenris is very tall, and with that massive sword slung over his back he looked…impressive. As if he were born to conquer worlds. From this angle she could just glimpse slices of his arms between the armor. There were flowing white lines creating unknown patterns there, and Saura found she wanted to see more of the design.

"Alright, this is it." Fenris said, turning to face her. Saura felt her face heat up as if she had been caught in her idle thoughts. "What is it?" He asked suspiciously.

"Nothing." Saura practically squeaked as she spit the word out.

"Right…" Fenris said, disbelief coloring his tone. "Well, this is the warehouse the slavers are going to use to rest up for the night. They obviously cannot do so in the open since slavery is illegal in Nevarra. We'll be waiting for them…preferably up high." He keen eyes scanned the warehouse and he pointed. "There. Those stairs."

Saura followed him up the creaky wooden stairs and scolded herself as she did so. This could very possibly be a lethal battle they were preparing for! She needed to focus, not immerse herself in girlish fantasies!

Suddenly, Fenris stopped as they reached the second floor, which consisted of nothing more than a narrow walkway that led to doors, which were currently closed and wrapped in cobwebs. He was looking over the solid wooden railing and looked pleased with the view, which overlooked the entire ground space. He knelt down and peered through a space between two boards about an inch apart and nodded.

"This spot is perfect. Take a look." Fenris allowed her to do the same. Indeed, the crack between boards was more than enough to view the entire warehouse and would conceal them as well.

"The only question is, can we attack them from this distance and still surprise them?" Saura asked, leaning back against the railing cautiously, nervous if she put too much weight on it she'd break though the ancient wood and fall to her death.

"Maybe, maybe not." Fenris admitted, his eyebrows meeting as his brow furrowed in thought. "Although I cannot see the harm unless they have a skilled archer amongst them."

Saura groaned.

"I fucking hate archers." She absentmindedly rubbed her right shoulder at the thought. She had mostly healed by then, but still found the spot aching none-the-less. Her sudden outburst granted a low chuckle from Fenris and Saura couldn't stop herself from doing a double take.

"That makes two of us then."

Saura grinned.

"Alright then, I'll take the stairs to the left, you the right. We'll flank them and pray to the Maker they do not have archers." Saura said. "And if they do, well…they die first." Fenris nodded in agreement.

After that, it was a waiting game. They took their positions, kneeling next to one another by the one spot they could look down upon the warehouse safely. It may have only been an hour, but to Saura it felt like an eternity. It wasn't so much the anticipation that bothered her as much as the awkward closeness that had her praying to the Maker that the caravan would hurry. They soon found that rickety old warehouses made a lot of noise on their own, and at any sound, the two jolted to look down at the ground space at the same moment and on one occasion they had actually bumped heads. Two times since then they had narrowly avoided that, but instead stopped in enough time to find the others face a mere inch away. Fenris looked unperturbed by this, but Saura couldn't help the color rising in her cheeks no matter how hard she tried. _What was she, a school girl?_ She scolded herself silently. Even in the moments where they sat next to one another in complete silence, Saura found herself noticing strange things…like how Fenris smelled. He had a cool, fresh scent she couldn't place, which mingled enticingly with the leather of his armor. All of which of course mixed with his natural musk…which if truth be told, was what had Saura's mouth drying up. There was something about his scent that had her pulse racing, and her body reacting almost of it's own accord.

_Damn it Saura, FOCUS!_

Just then, there came a loud creek as the large door to the warehouse opened, emitting the flickering light of torches. The low sounds of hushed voices caught her attention, and one voice rose above the rest, issuing orders to set camp. Saura and Fenris exchanged glances, and Fenris peeked through to take a look. After a moment, he nodded slowly. So it was them. Now all they needed to do was wait until the slavers were comfortably settled and off guard, and then they would launch the attack.

"Take a quick look around, make sure we're alone." The voice said softly, but not softly enough. Saura looked to Fenris swiftly. Fenris shrugged in a baffled gesture and Saura bit back a groan. Why couldn't things ever just go according to plan? Why hadn't they thought of this occurring?

Footsteps on the stairs to the left alerted Saura to the inevitable early encounter with the slavers. The two braced themselves, hands reaching for their swords.

"I've got this one." Saura whispered. "You head down to the caravan." Fenris nodded in his assent.

What happened next was chaos. Saura saw a booted foot as the man reached the top of the staircase. He was a mere five steps away and Saura popped up, wielding her sword with a quick flourish. She thrust her sword out and impaled the unsuspecting slaver before he'd even had a chance to register what had occurred. His dying cries alerted the slavers below however, and a clamor of noises issued from below. Saura turned and took a quick survey of the space that would be their battlefield. She wrenched her sword out of the man's chest cavity and watched as Fenris descended upon the caravan. He was a blur of deadly motion, and Saura found it hard to follow his movements, he was so fast! His strength was unparalleled, and she noted as she watched him slice through a slaver, how utterly graceful he was…as if it were some kind of dance…

Saura was taking the stairs three at a time and jumped over the last five stairs in her haste to assist an outnumbered Fenris. She heaved her sword in a wide arch, which caught two slavers by surprise. They hadn't been expecting another target, and their ignorance cost them their lives. Bodies toppled to the ground lifeless, and she quickly jumped over them and toward her nearest target.

There were even more slavers here than anticipated, Saura thought as she dodged a rogues attack from behind by little more than a breath. Not counting those already dead, there were still seven. Six, Saura corrected as the rogue fell to the earth in pieces. Shit, Saura cursed silently as she looked up. Fenris was surrounded by three slavers and didn't see the archer with their arrow trained on him. Saura didn't think, she just acted. She bolted past the two slavers coming at her, daggers raised. One managed to graze her arm on the way past, but she couldn't feel it with all the adrenaline pumping through her. She could see the arrow begin to fly, and practically jumped into its path. She was at Fenris' side now and knocked the arrow away deftly with the flat of her blade. The arrow flipped through the air, end over end, finally falling uselessly to the ground. Fenris managed to look over his shoulder at her, surprise covering his face before thrusting his blade through the belly of the last of his enemies.

Despite how desperately Saura wanted to reach the archer, the two slavers who'd initially targeted her were upon her again. Their blades met with a sharp _clang_, and Saura pushed against them with all her might. Somehow, one of the slavers had managed to hook his daggers around her sword and yanked it away. Saura desperately tried to cling to it, but away it went through the air, finally dropping to the ground several feet away.

"Nice try honey!" One of the slavers said with a malicious grin on his bearded face. He and his companion flanked her, but still Saura was deadly calm. She'd already taken an inventory of the buildings layout prior to battle, so she was more than aware of the frayed rope that hung above her head from the rafters. She could reach it if she jumped. The only downside to this plan was that she couldn't see the other end, and fervently hoped it was secured. Well, only one way to find out!

The two went for her, and she jumped as high as she possibly could, her hands grasping the rugged rope tightly. She lifted her legs up just in time and swung back, knocking one slaver into the other with all of her body weight. She let go and fell lithely to the earth. She grabbed a dagger, which one of the two had somehow dropped and plunged it into the nearest slavers thigh. His screams echoed throughout the warehouse hauntingly, but Saura took the opportunity to go for her sword. She slid and grabbed it up off the dusty floor and in an instant was up again and jumping for the slaver she'd stabbed first, wanting to end his pain as quickly as she could. He was dead before his body hit the ground and she turned to the last one, who was holding his chest where he'd been hit. He looked pissed. It didn't matter however, because seconds later Saura had sliced through his heart and his body fell lifelessly to the ground.

Saura was gasping for breath now, and looked over to see Fenris walking toward her, blood spattered across his face. He had taken out the archer without incident it seemed. The way he was striding toward her had her heartbeat quickening again, and she had to quell the urge to ask him how he'd managed to get so proficient. But Saura could already answer that herself based on all the rumors of the man's past. Following the legendary Champion of Kirkwall was enough to gain enough battle experience. But even before that, she knew of his past as a slave to a magister who had used him as a constant bodyguard. No wonder he was so skillful.

But now as he was striding toward her, his eyes were unusually bright, and his tattoos seemed to be glowing a very light shade of blue. He looked magnificent.

"Your tattoos.." Saura whispered.

"I have managed to use these damned things to my advantage in battle. I can tap into their power and fade from sight for moments at a time." As he strode up to her he reached out and went for her arm, but astonishingly, his hand went…. through her! It was the strangest feeling she'd ever experienced. It was as if he were holding onto her humerus bone! She couldn't stop the gasp from escaping her lips, and he let his hand fall back to his side again. She rubbed the spot on her arm he'd just touched. "That little trick comes in handy as well." He said with a smirk as he watched her eyes widen.

"I can imagine!" Saura finally stuttered.

"There were even more here than I'd anticipated. The information I received must have been off in their numbers." Fenris said as he made his way over to the wagon situated in the center of the warehouse. It was heavily locked, as they'd expected, but this was no problem for Fenris. Indeed, he slammed his blade down upon it and the lock seemed to shatter into tiny pieces upon contact. Saura felt her eyebrows rise at his force. He was so powerful it was almost inconceivable! He opened the door to reveal something that had him standing there looking dumbstruck.

"What? What's wrong?" Saura felt her heart drop into her feet, and immediately expected the worst. She made her way over to his side and gasped in horror at what she saw. There were close to two-dozen elves packed in this small wagon, shoulder to shoulder and every one of them was on the very brink of starvation.

"Oh Maker, no!" Saura jumped into the wagon and took hold of the nearest elf- a small, frail girl. She lifted her up easily into her arms and carried her to the opposite wall of the warehouse, where she set her down delicately. Out of the corner of her eye, Saura noticed Fenris had begun to move as well, but Saura locked her eyes upon the small girl in front of her.

"Here, rest. You're safe now." Saura said softly, brushing some of the girl's mousy brown hair out of her face and behind her pointed ear. The girl was young and could not be more than 15 years old. It was peculiar watching her, because it looked and sounded as if she were crying…and yet no tears came. The poor thing was so dehydrated she could no longer produce tears!

"Thank the Maker!" The girl rasped. "And thank you…oh Maker…"

It took only minutes to lay the elves out on the warehouse floor, and both she and Fenris were horrified to find two had not made the journey. They would give them a proper farewell later on. Fenris had barely spoken, but now as Saura looked up from tending a particularly upset young boy, she saw him slam his fist against the side of the wagon. She started, stood, and slowly approached him as if he were a wild animal.

"Do you know where they were to be taken?" He asked, his voice nothing more than a low growl. Without waiting for an answer he whipped around, fury drawing his face back into a frightful visage. She had seen his anger before, but this level of ferocity was unparalleled. "They were to be taken to the Imperium! To be slaves to the magisters! For beings with such power I can never understand their constant need for the assistance of so many slaves." He gestured in a jerking motion at the rows of nearly motionless elves. "Maybe you can enlighten me! Do you require a slave, mage? I'm sure one of them would do nicely!" He was looking at her with such disgust on his face that she stepped back and looked away.

"Fenris, you're angry, so I'll let this slide." Saura turned and walked to the door. " I'm going to get some food for them." Without another word, she pushed through the door and into the darkened streets of the warehouse district. She hoped he hadn't seen just how much his words had hurt her.

She returned as quickly as she could with four loaves of bread, bricks of cheese, and a good array of fruits. She'd spent the very last of her coin to acquire it, but at the moment she wasn't concerned. She had no problem finding work, so she'd be fine. Saura pushed through the door and was surprised to find Fenris still present. He was currently helping an elf to water, which he must have gone out to get while she was away.

Saura set to work immediately divvying up the food between the helpless elves, which greedily gobbled down everything she'd set in front of them before she was even done with the task. Some could not help themselves, and ate so fast that they were promptly sick. Saura went back and cleaned them gingerly.

"Now take it slow this time, hear me? Take sips of water, and when you're sure you can hold that down you can move on to small bites of bread." Saura was telling one boy who looked to be 17. She set the loaf of bread in front of him.

"Thank you serah!" He rasped.

Saura smiled and took his hand in her own.

"Saura. My name is Saura. And I'm glad to have been a help." With one last reassuring squeeze of his hand, she stood and took a quick inventory of the scene. When everything looked to be in order, she intended to go out and find clothing and blankets for the refugees. She was heading for the door when the sounds of soft sobbing met her ears. She turned and saw the noises were coming from a small, balled up figure.

"Hey," Saura crooned, laying a gentle hand on the girls back. She knelt down beside her. " You're ok now. Don't cry."

The girl lifted her head, and Saura noticed it had been the first girl she'd carried from the wagon. Her watery, haunted green eyes looked up into her own.

"I miss my momma." The girl sobbed wretchedly, fresh tears spilling out onto her cheeks. Saura felt her heart constrict at the words, and wanted nothing more at that moment than to scour Thedas for the girl's mother. Instead, she brushed the girls lusterless dull brown hair out of her eyes and wrapped her arms around her in a protective embrace. The poor girl's face was gaunt and her body was so small and emaciated that she almost became lost inside Saura's arms. Her limbs were nothing more than twigs, and as she sobbed, Saura couldn't suppress the worry that those huge, wracking sobs would somehow break a fragile bone. They stayed this way until the girl had quieted and finally dozed off into a heavy sleep. Saura lowered her gently to the ground and went for the door in hopes of finding blankets. A shadow to her right alerted her to Fenris' presence however, and out of the corner of her eye she noted he was watching her from his spot leaning against a wooden crate near the door. She couldn't ignore him any more…

"You're still here." Saura said tensely.

"There is much to be done for them." He stated. There was an awkward silence.

"You're right. I'll go collect blankets." She reached for the door when he stopped her.

"Wait." He said, rising from the crate. He took a hesitant step toward her. "I apologize for what I said. It was…uncalled for. Especially after all you've done."

Saura was unsure of how to handle this apology. She really wanted to yell at him, because he would never know how much his words had stung, but then she turned to look at him fully and saw the sincerity in his eyes as he gazed at her before looking away as if ashamed. She sighed, all anger seeming to leave her at once.

"I look at them and I see myself in all my years serving Danarius. I remember all the times he withheld my meals, merely for the pleasure of watching me squirm." His face took on that furious, dangerous look again, but as quickly as it had come, it seemed to collapse in again, leaving only a look of utter exhaustion. " I should not have directed my anger at you."

"You're right." Saura said bluntly, unkindly. She watched as tension flit across his face. "But…I understand that this must have been difficult for you. " Saura contemplated what those long years serving Danarius must have been like for him. No wonder he despised her for being a magic user. It would be hard not to hold some sort of grudge when you suffered so greatly for such an extended period of time.

Saura's eyes held his and a tentative smile crept across her face.

"Well, we came out of this hero's, let's act like it shall we?" Saura said cheerfully. She watched the ghost of a smile tug at his lips, and considered that her reward for all of this nonsense. She chuckled at her poor attempt at lightening the mood and slipped out the door to search for blankets.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7….let's DO THIS! Yes…I'm strange.

Bioware owns Dragon Age. I own Saura. Score one for me!

Chapter 7:

In the two weeks they spent together nursing the refugees back to health, Saura learned bits and pieces of Fenris' past. She'd been careful not to push him when he spoke of serving Danarius, because she knew the subject was literal torture to him. She merely listened and bit her tongue at all the sappy "Oh, I'm so sorry!"'s that were itching to escape, because she knew that was not what he wanted to hear. He did not want her pity. He was merely relaying a tale. She had already heard all the rumors of the man's past, but to hear it directly from him was completely different. The two were folding blankets side by side in the warehouse one day as he told his story.

"These markings are the first memory I have. I can still feel a ghost of the pain I felt as they were burned into my flesh." There was so much emotion behind his words that Saura felt her breath catching in her throat. She looked at him inconspicuously out of the corner of her eye to find his face void of that emotion in his voice. He kept his face completely blank. "As the lyrium was burned into my skin, it took any resistance I had away, and transformed me into a compliant slave. Danarius would force me to do the most inane tasks, and as a reward, he would frequently withhold my meals, or order me to spend the night out in the freezing rain…" Fenris trailed off, his mind completely lost in his tortured past.

Saura was at an absolute loss for words. What did one say to another when they've lost everything?

"Well, if I'd been there I would have kicked his ass." Saura blurted. There was a moment of utter silence in which Saura immediately berated herself for the comment. _Nice Saura! Way to say the stupidest thing you could have said!_ Saura squeezed her eyes shut and wished to Andraste that she could take those words back. She waited for his explosion…but it never came! What happened next was so unbelievable, so entirely contrary to Saura's expectations that she gaped.

Fenris laughed.

Saura turned to look at him full and briefly wondered if he'd gone mad. His laughter started out as a few deep chuckles, and escalated into a true belly laugh, which seemed to resonate through her entire being as she watched in complete surprise. Her mind went blank as she watched him laugh. His face was upturned and his white hair thrown back, his eyes shut. But what truly caught her attention was his smile. It was absolutely breathtaking. It was at that moment that Saura decided she would make it her personal mission to make him smile more often, because he was so damned beautiful when he did so, it was a crime to withhold it. Saura found that his laughter was contagious and she began to chuckle as well.

"Oh, I suppose I should thank you for the thought," Fenris managed to say in between chuckles. " As absurd as it is."

"Hey, shut up! I'm trying here you know." Saura mumbled, blushing. He turned and grinned at her, still coming down from his temporary high. Her heart was threatening to beat its way out of her chest the longer he gazed at her with such mirth on his face. She was definitely sure he could hear it.

"I do not know the last time I've heard something so ridiculous." He chuckled.

Saura got up abruptly, partly to help the young boy she saw struggling to tie his boot strings, and partly to get away from Fenris and the strange way he was making her feel.

Fenris watched her go with a smile still playing on his lips. When was the last time he'd laughed like that? More than a year ago playing cards at the Hanged Man with Hawke, Isabella, and Varric. He'd had quite a bit to drink that evening and Varric had told the most inane joke. What it was now, he couldn't remember. But experiencing this feeling now…he didn't want to let it go. He'd watched the young woman over the last two weeks helping the refugees, and one by one they had recovered enough to leave the warehouse and enter the city. What they did from there was their own choosing. He had watched her the day before, weeping as she held the small girl close to her. He could see how much she'd come to care for the young girl, but the girl needed to go home to her mother.

"I can take you there myself! It's not that far, and I—" Saura began.

"No, Saura." The girl named Rosa said, wiping away Saura's tears. " I can make it on my own. Like you said, it isn't far, and you are needed here."

In the end, Rosa saw that Saura would not allow her to leave the warehouse alone, and had left as Saura slept, in the night. She left behind a note. Saura had read it that morning and had wept silently. Later, Saura revealed to him that Rosa had thanked her and hoped she would one day come and visit her at her home. She had left the address.

Fenris watched her now as she helped the last refugee, the teenage boy, gather some food in a pack and hand it to him.

"Take this." Saura stopped the boy on his way out the door and handed him 50 silvers. " Do with it what you will, but spend it wisely. And be careful. Write when you are safe and have settled." He thanked her, turned to go, but then stopped. He turned back around, kissed her quickly on the cheek and ran red-faced out the doors and into the city.

"You've got an admirer." Fenris said, coming up behind her with an armful of blankets. Now that the last of the refugees had recovered and left the warehouse, they needed to begin clearing out.

"He's a cute kid. He'll do well." Saura said this in a wistful tone that told Fenris she was already missing the company of their newfound companions.

"Where did you get the coin to give to that boy?"

"I didn't steal it if that's what you're asking. I helped serah Tellegan clean his shop front yesterday. I gave the boy my earnings."

"So how are you paying for your room at the inn?" Fenris asked, already knowing the answer. Her small frame seemed to deflate at the question.

"I'm….not." She admitted at last. " I wouldn't be at all surprised to find my belongings on the street by now."

"And yet you give your coin away so freely?" She turned to look at him at this. One eyebrow was raised as he looked at her quizzically.

"Alright, I'm not good with my coin. Satisfied?"

There was a pause between them and Fenris looked into her eyes for a moment before answering.

"I think it is admirable to give so much when you have so little." Fenris found himself saying. "Even if it isn't at all logical."

Saura sighed, but couldn't stop the smile from forming on her lips.

"Another backhanded compliment." Saura said grimly. " Should I answer it in the same manner?" She asked, raising her hand threateningly. Fenris smirked.

"No need. It was more compliment than anything else." He turned away from her, determined that she would not see the way she had somehow managed to break down all of his walls. He felt defenseless, and yet somehow… liberated.

Saura was astonished to find the innkeeper had kept her room for her. However, he did give her a friendly warning that if she didn't manage to pay the fees by the end of the day she would find her belongings out on the street. She promised compensation and immediately left to find work.

She arrived back at the inn several hours later, the sun had already set and she was tired, but happy to have made just enough coin to pay her rent. However, as she went to pay the innkeeper, she was astounded to find that her rent had already been paid through the week.

"Yes serah, a surly young man I must say…but who am I to judge your suitors?" The innkeeper grinned to reveal crooked, decaying teeth and Saura chuckled at the absurdity of it. She knew exactly who had done this, and headed back out the door and down the street toward his place. Several minutes later Saura was knocking on Fenris' door and tapped her foot as she waited. Sure enough, moments later Fenris emerged with a bland look on his face.

"It's nice to see you too." Saura said sarcastically. " Can I come in for a moment?" Fenris shrugged and allowed her entrance. He stepped aside and she walked through the threshold into a large entryway, which led into an even larger living space. In fact, she could have fit her own room into this one several times!

"Whoa! Looks like I got the short end of the stick." Saura mumbled, stepping over a heap of dirty laundry. Indeed, the large room was littered with clothes and half-eaten foods. Saura lifted a brow at this, but made no further comment. Who was she to lecture about cleanliness when she was no master herself?

"Is there a reason for your visit? I wasn't exactly prepared for company." Saura turned at his bitter tone and realized he was in plain black trousers, and that was it. He held a half-eaten apple in one hand and looked over it at her suspiciously. Saura felt the heat rise in her face as she attempted to avert her eyes from his very muscular chest. The shining white lyrium tattoos spiraled delicately down his torso, and as much as she wanted to trace over the lines with her eyes, she looked away.

"I…I just wanted to ask you about my tab at the inn. I know it was you that paid it. And…well…" Saura wasn't sure how to thank him, and her mouth was drying up, making it very difficult to speak.

"I needed you within the city. It was my only demand, and since I knew you couldn't afford the inn, I paid it for you. I'm not ready to stop monitoring you." Fenris said in a matter-of-fact tone, and then took an enormous bite of his apple. Saura felt something inside her drop. Her whole body seemed to sag at his words, and she scolded herself silently for feeling so let down. She knew of course he wouldn't have done it out of the goodness of his heart. But she had fervently hoped he had paid her bill because he thought her a friend, and he did not want to see her leave. She sighed and forced down the sickening disappointment that threatened to drown her.

" I see. Well, I'll pay you back as soon as I can." Saura rubbed some dirt off her gauntlet just to have her hands busy and headed for the door without looking at him. "Thank you." She added, more out of duty than anything else. She stepped out of his room and shut the door behind her before he could respond.

Weeks went by, and the visits continued as usual-cold and indifferent. Saura made it a point to put a wall up between them since meeting him in his room that night. She realized she'd been warming up to Fenris considerably and knew that behavior had to stop or she'd get hurt. He obviously didn't consider her a friend.

One evening, Fenris walked into The Slaver's Quarters, the bar they had first met at, and found Saura sitting by herself in a dark corner with several empty shot glasses and a bottle of something he couldn't read from this distance. He strode up to her to find her cheeks flushed and an utterly defeated expression on her face.

"Here you are." Fenris grumbled. Saura looked up at him with far away eyes and a silly little grin.

"Hey Fenris! Sit! Have a little of this fabulous stuff with me!" She knocked the bottle over, but righted it quickly and held it out to him. He looked at the nearly empty bottle, which said _The Wench's End_ in bloody looking letters down the side.

"Fabulous?" He asked in spite of himself.

"Ok, it's shit. But it does the trick!" Saura poured two shot glasses full of the noxious stuff, pushed one across the table to Fenris, and knocked hers back like a champ. Fenris set the shot aside and gazed at Saura with narrowed eyes.

"Alright, what's going on?" He asked. " You don't drink often. And when you do it isn't something so…wretched." He gestured to the bottle.

Saura's head was hanging in a way that told him she did not want to meet his eyes. There was a moment of silence. Then—

"What do you care? As long as I'm no blood mage or abomination I'm clean. End of story." Her voice was pitched in that low tone she'd used on him these last couple weeks, and inexplicably, Fenris found himself hot with anger. He slammed his hand down on the table, knocking several shot glasses on their sides.

"Damn it Saura!" He hissed.

"What?" Saura's eyes glittered in her fury, and stood abruptly, knocking her chair back in her haste. Fenris followed her lead and stood to match her. "It's true isn't it? Look at me!" She held her wrists out to him as proof. " No blood magic performed in the last Age. Promise. Now be on your way." She went to sit again, but he snatched her wrist out of the air and held it firmly.

"Listen to me." He ordered softly. Her wide blue eyes locked onto his and he fumbled with his next words. "Don't assume to know me."

"You've made it quite clear on several occasions what this is—" She waved a clumsy hand in the air between them. " And no offense, but I don't feel like hearing about what a horrible apostate bitch I am tonight. I have enough on my mind without that." Saura said harshly.

"Is that truly what you think?" Fenris asked slowly. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I…don't know." She whispered.

It was at that moment that Fenris realized how very little space was between the two of them, even with the table in the middle. He could feel the heat of her body and smell the alcohol on her breath. He nearly gasped when he looked down to find he still held her wrist, although now he held her delicately as if afraid she may break under his grasp. He released her as if he'd been burned and watched her sink back into her chair, as if all strength had left her. Fenris knew he needed to say something…anything…but he was so bad at this!

"Saura…" He was searching for the right words to say. " You may be officially classified as an apostate, but I've seen you in battle on more than one occasion, and you've not once used your magic, where countless others would have. I meant you no disrespect in my suspicions. I just…in my past…" Fenris groaned and put a hand to his forehead in embarrassment. He was getting sidetracked. " Anyway, you helped me in the raid against the slavers when you were not obligated to do so. In fact…it took no more than my asking you to assist for you to join me. I would never have expected that from anyone else. You are…different. And on top of which, you could have let that slaver's arrow kill me, and you would be free of any hold I have over you. But instead you chose to knock the arrow away and save my life." Their eyes met at this, and he watched as her eyes widened. They had never spoken of this before. She hadn't realized he'd remembered such a thing… "You are a talented warrior, one that holds my respect. I do not look down at you in disgust. I do not look at you as an apostate, but a fearless warrior." Oh Maker, he felt like a fool sitting there beside her and saying all of this. He tried to ignore the thumping of his heart and the warmth in his face. He was thinking of how he had left out the most important part to this speech…that he did not truly feel he needed to monitor her. He could not tell her this, because he still needed an excuse to stay close to her. He was shocked to find that he craved her company. Fenris looked up from the spot he'd been staring at on the table and into her face, and all thoughts of embarrassment left him. A brilliant smile was forming on Saura's face, her eyes glittering now, not in anger…but with something else…

"I don't believe you." She said. Fenris held his breath at the words, unsure of how she meant them. " Say it again!"

Fenris blew all the air he'd been holding out at once, ruffling his hair as he did so. He stood to leave when a delicate hand seized his arm, somehow finding his flesh between pieces of armor. A dull pain radiated through him at the contact, and his tattoos responded by glowing an ethereal blue. The pain had him stiffening, but otherwise he made no other indication of the discomfort. The eerie blue light faded as quickly as it had come.

"Please stay Fenris. I'm joking!" He turned and she lifted her hand. The smile was plastered on her face, making her entire being seem to glow. Her eyes were still twinkling in a way that made his stomach clench rather uncomfortably. She looked so utterly…beautiful! Fenris nearly fell to the ground at the discovery. His eyes widened as he looked at her. She was pouring him a shot now, and was unaware of his scrutiny, but his mouth had gone dry. Yes, she was magnificently beautiful sitting there with her dark golden hair held up in a modest ponytail, tendrils of which fell loosely across her cheeks. The freckles that dotted her nose and cheeks were absolutely adorable, especially when highlighted as they were now in her flush.

"You have…freckles."

Saura's head shot up at his words and her face suddenly turned a brighter shade of red.

"Yes. I hate the blasted things." She was practically squirming in her insecurity. Fenris smirked.

"Really? I rather like them."

"Yes…well…" Saura needed an excuse to get out of his presence at once. She stood and gestured that she was heading for the bar for another bottle when she tripped on her chair and went tumbling to the ground. Only…she never reached the ground, because Fenris had caught her. He'd seen it coming a mile away with the amount she'd been drinking this evening, so when she began her downward fall, he'd been prepared enough to shoot out of his chair and catch her. He was squatting when he caught her, and her knee a mere centimeter from the ground. She touched her knee down to stabilize herself now, but found that both of her arms were wrapped around Fenris' neck.

"Oh…" Saura was looking into his wide green eyes that for once weren't narrowed in suspicion or anger. He was looking at her in a way that had her heart racing and her breath catching. The contact of her hands on his neck had lit up his tattoos again, but it was his lips that held her attention. Oh Maker how she wanted to kiss him in that moment…

Fenris pried her hands off him and jumped back up onto his feet as if she were a snake. Saura felt a pang of bitter uncertainty in herself as she watched the horror play across his face. Was she really that disgusting?

"I'm sorry. I get rather clumsy when I drink!" Saura stood and laughed uncomfortably. "Well, I'll go get us another. The clumsier I get, the more fun I'm sure you'll have laughing at me!" Saura practically ran away to the counter, to hide the disappointment and dejection she was feeling.

_REGROUP!_ Fenris was inwardly screaming. What in Andraste's name was he _THINKING?_ If he had let himself hold her a moment longer he would have kissed her! He just could not let that happen. If something were to happen between them, he knew without a shadow of a doubt she would eventually leave. He was too full of hostility and resentment that she would ultimately decide she could not put up with his constant darkened moods. And who could blame her? No. He needed to keep his distance. He was not ready for this kind of emotion, nor did he know how to deal with it.

"Here."

Saura was before him again, holding a shot glass out to him with a small smile playing on her lips. He took it without looking at her and downed it in one gulp. He savored the burn as it went down.

"I apologize. I'm acting a fool tonight." Saura said, sitting down across from him. Fenris smirked and took the opening.

"Not much more than usual."

Saura shot him a look that was supposed to be offended, but her eyes still glittered playfully, ruining the effect.

"Although," Fenris continued, pouring himself another shot, " I've never seen you so…"

"Drunk?" Saura supplied with a low, throaty chuckle. "Well, this is a rare occasion. You see, I've heard news of my father. I think he's now within the city."

"And that should lead you to drink until you can no longer stand because…?"

Saura sighed and shook her head. Her shoulders slumped and all of the energy he'd just witnessed seemed to be seeping out of her, leaving her looking sad and defeated.

"He blames me for the death of my mother." Saura said at last. Fenris thought back to their previous conversation about her past.

"I thought you said a Tevinter magister murdered her." He was searching her face now for some kind of clue, but instead all he found was a devastatingly hurt young woman. Saura nodded at his comment and poured another glass, sloshing the amber liquid onto the table as she did so. She downed the shot and slammed the glass down on the table. The noise echoed dully throughout the nearly empty tavern.

"Yes." Saura finally whispered. " But that didn't stop my father from placing blame upon me. You see—"

"There you are you filthy bitch!"

The coarse voice shot across the tavern as if it were a weapon. Those caught within its path froze immediately. The hatred weaved into every word of the sentence caught all by surprise and had the barkeep looking up from his cleaning in alarm. Fenris looked over his shoulder to find the voice had been directed at them. Saura however, made no move to get a glimpse at the source, because she already knew whom it was.

"Hello father."


End file.
